The Rage of a Yandere
by teisan
Summary: After Kirino's strenuous "life counseling" sessions, Kyousuke looks to Kuroneko for companionship and romance. But another girl, for better or worse, is in the way. Mostly romantic themes, with some suspense later and humor throughout.
1. First Date

"OK, so what did you call me here for?"

Kyousuke Kousaka scowled at the tsundere in front of him. They were in the middle of Akihabara square, and she had her arms crossed, as if _he_ owed _her_ for going out there in the middle of his weekend.

"Simple. You'll be going along with me to buy manga. And you'll be carrying all the goods."

Kyousuke gave a thin smile.

"I would have expected that from Kirino. If you're trying to copy _her_, that's pretty low, isn't it...Kuroneko?"

Kuroneko purred, her bright red eyes glowing playfully. "I'm not trying to imitate Kirino. I just need a lackey to carry my merchandise."

"Eh, whatever."

Kuroneko waved her hand indifferently. "I'll pay you if you want."

"No, that won't be necessary."

"Good, then. Let's go…Nii-san."

Kyousuke smiled. It was their inside joke, and Kuroneko used it whenever she wanted to mess with Kirino. The shops Kuroneko frequented were very different from the ones Kirino went to. Mostly dark and dimly lit, with the gloomy, moody characters from _Maschera_ on the covers of the books and DVDs and posters and eroge and erotic doujinshi, all of which she bought and piled into Kyousuke's hands.

"Kuroneko…why do you buy so much _Maschera_ eroge? Aren't the main characters both boys or something?"

"Yes, what's your point?"

"What's your purpose in buying these?"

"I play the games and I read the hentai and I masturbate," said Kuroneko.

Kyousuke nearly dropped everything he was holding.

"What? You expect me to lie? That's how it is. But at least I admit it, unlike your sister."

Kyousuke shuddered because he knew Kuroneko was right, and they stopped at the McDonald's that always served as the resting point whenever the whole tight-knit group (Saori, Kirino, Kuroneko, and Kyousuke) met.

Kyousuke stopped Kuroneko as she took out her wallet. "No, my treat."

"You don't ever sound this glad to pay when Kirino makes you do it."

Kyousuke smiled. They ate their lunch and spent much of the afternoon simply strolling around.

"Nii-san?" said Kyousuke.

"Mm-hmm?"

"Are there any manga or anime series you've started liking? On your own, I mean. I know Kirino makes you play those child porn games she calls eroge, but have you tried anything on your own?"

"Some of the bigger names, but I haven't found one to obsess over like you do with _Maschera_ or Kirino does with _Meruru_."

"Well, you should really start. It's more fun that way."

"I don't have magic pockets full of gold like you two do."

"I look for good sales. Kirino just spends because she's got the modeling money."

"It's getting late, isn't it? Perhaps we should get back home…By the way, I really enjoyed today, Kuroneko."

"Nii-san?"

"Yes?"

"Could you use my real name, please?"

"Of course…Goko-san."

"Could you use my first name, please?"

"Of course…Ruri-san."

Kuroneko smiled and shook her head as she walked away. "Oh, well. You'll figure it out soon enough…onii-chan!"

On the train ride home, Kyousuke realized for the first time that that had been their first date.


	2. The Rage of a Yandere

_Author's Note: Of course, the previous chapter was just the prologue. Time for my belated intro. Ayase first appears in this chapter. I got the inspiration for this fanfic from the revelation through various websites that Ayase Aragaki is actually a yandere. A yandere, if you don't know, is a girl who is affectionate and loving, but also extremely destructive and dangerous. Ayase didn't seem all that destructive and dangerous to me in the anime, so I've obviously amped it up a little bit, doing my little part to up the number of Oreimo fanfics. Please read and enjoy, and if you'd like, review!_

"Kyousuke, get your ass down here!"

_Crap. She knows._ Kyousuke looked up from the soft porn magazine he was reading. Flinging his shame under the bed, he quickly flew out his room and down the stairs into the living room, where his sister Kirino was sitting, with her arms crossed. Kyousuke flinched, knowing all too well of Kirino's violent tendencies.

While Kyousuke was a rather plain, normal boy with a bad haircut in his second year of high school, Kirino was a slender and lean seventh-grader with brilliant auburn hair and large, teal eyes. Top of her class, star of the middle school track team. Her only two flaws were her obsession with otaku gear and her venomous temper.

"Had fun last weekend?" hissed Kirino.

"Yeah."

"You don't usually go to Akiba on your own. Never seemed to enjoy it when you went with _me_."

"Yeah, well."

"Went alone?"

"Sure."

Kirino narrowed her eyes and inspected Kyousuke suspiciously. Kyousuke broke into a cold sweat for fear of Kirino's potent kick or powerful punch.

"I give you permission to date Kuroneko," she finally declared.

"Who gave you _that_ right?" sneered Kyousuke even as he silently breathed a sigh of relief. "And how do you know about that?"

"You came back late and a little too happy."

"That's because you don't know what we did."

"_What_? Are you saying..."

"You'll never know, will you?"

"You little…UGH!" Kyousuke smiled and _swaggered_ upstairs. Kirino stomped after him, but stomped back with an angry growl of futility. Kyousuke got back up in his room and took out a notebook, not of words, but instead adorned with a drawing of Kuroneko.

...

"You're not too bad for a mere dabbler," said Kuroneko. She handed the notebook back. "Are you sure Kirino's not plotting your murder? God knows she has too much fun arguing with me over anime to kill _me_."

"I'm sure. She's not a yandere. She's a stock tsundere, minus the pigtails."

"Of course." They were in the park, sitting on a bench and people-watching.

"Kyou-chan?" she had allowed herself this privilege in addressing Kyousuke without asking. "Remember a little while ago when I promised to pay you for carrying my goods in Akiba?"

"Yes…I told you you didn't have to do that," replied Kyousuke.

"Well, I'm going to do it anyway," replied Kuroneko. She leaned close to Kyousuke, as if to kiss him, but instead placed a first-edition copy of the _Maschera_ manga series in his hands.

Slightly disappointed, Kyousuke smiled sheepishly, knowing he ought to at least _look_ happy.

Kuroneko smiled back, and then caught him by surprise as she kissed him.

...

Ayase Aragaki leaned against her desk at the middle school, watching Kirino closely. There was no way she would allow her poor, defenseless best friend be snared into that monster Kyousuke's trap. The porn and hentai was bad enough. Having an incestuous sicko for a brother must have been nothing less than a plague. Ayase watched Kirino and her other friends with a conniving smile on her face. She had pledged to give everything she had to save Kirino from Kyousuke.

Ayase's bright blue eyes gleamed, and she licked her lips in perverse pleasure. _Everything_…

...

As Kirino passed by her brother's room that afternoon, she noticed the door slightly open and leaned in to listen to Kyousuke talking to Kuroneko on the phone.

"Great! I'll see you Friday afternoon, then…Ruri-chan." Kyousuke stared at the crack in the door, as if he were directing those last two words towards the eavesdropper who wasn't supposed to be there. His hunch was confirmed when he heard a loud yelp of frustration and several loud stomping sounds. Satisfied that he finally had something to hold over Kirino, Kyousuke lay his head back down on the pillow and took a nap.

...

Friday came far too slowly. Kyousuke waited patiently for the bell, and then he rushed out the school. Manami Tamura was no longer waiting loyally for him as she used to. When Kyousuke's bespectacled childhood friend had heard of Kyousuke and Kuroneko's relationship (Kirino spilled the beans, only referring to Kuroneko as "a girl from a few blocks down"), she moped for several days before eventually finding a boyfriend.

As Kyousuke thought about the old days with Manami, he barely noticed the two shadows creeping in from behind him. He could only recall the blackness.


	3. Captive Love

Ayase grinned. She never imagined Kanako Kurusu, the spoiled brat who was a model with her and Kirino (and thus, a perfect friend for both of them), knew karate and could knock people out. But she was certainly glad she had Kanako's help.

"Whatever. He's all yours. He should come to in about ten minutes. I guess that should be enough to tie him up or whatever the hell," said Kanako. With an utter disregard for Kyousuke's safety, she strutted off, leaving Ayase to take Kyousuke into her house.

...

Kyousuke did not remember anything leading up to the black-out. He could only recall waking up in someone's bedroom. Like Kirino's, it was flowery and girlish, with so many fashion-related photos. But the familiar nook in the room that stored all her otaku gear wasn't there, and the girl who stood over him on the bed with a sick, greedy grin was not Kirino. Her eyes were a much darker blue, and her hair was a very dark, sapphire-blue, almost black. Kyousuke shook his hands and found they were handcuffed to the bedposts.

Ayase slithered onto Kyousuke, resting her cheek next to his face.

"Kyousuke Kousaka, you know ever since you made your confession, I've hated you, right?"

"Aragaki-san? What's going on here?"

"I've always hated you. Imagine, my Kirino living with this…predator! The poor girl, enduring such abuse from the family member who should protect her!"

"Aragaki-san…"

"Shut up, you creep! I've suffered so much for my best friend, worrying what you'd do to her. That's why I've decided to take matters into my own hands."

Ayase crept next to Kyousuke, a murderous gleam in her eyes. She giggled a high-pitched laugh and rested her mouth next to his ears.

"I'll give anything—even myself, to make you stop."

Ayase slowly unbuttoned her school uniform, allowing her skimpy bra to show. She licked her lips again, pressing them against Kyousuke's ears once more.

"Promise you'll be gentle, onii-chan!"

_This was a short chapter, but I have the next one ready for tomorrow. Remember, read and review, and help fill up the Oreimo section on this site!_


	4. Interlude

Kyousuke's memory was remarkably hazy. He remembered being knocked out (again) at the end and waking up outside, propped up sitting at a street corner. Kyousuke got up and recognized the street corner as the one right next to his house. He stumbled in groggily and limped up to his room. He looked at his clock and realized he had spent two hours at Ayase's. He called Kuroneko and began to apologize profusely for missing their date.

"Why didn't you make it? And why couldn't you call beforehand?" demanded Kuroneko.

"I'm sorry. I—"

"Dinner!" called out Kyousuke's mother from downstairs.

"It's really complicated. I'll explain to you tomorrow, I promise!" pleaded Kyousuke.

...

"I see."

Kuroneko mixed her bubble tea slowly with her straw. They were in a café near home this time. The story was so bizarre Kyousuke could only recount it in person, with Kuroneko right in front of him.

"I promise, that happened. It sounds a bit weird, but…"

"I believe you. You seem genuinely shaken. After all, you _are_ a male rape victim now."

"This isn't a joke!"

"I didn't say it was. _I_ don't think it's a joke."

"I tried telling her I don't have a thing for Kirino."

"You _don't_, do you?"

"Of course not! She wouldn't listen. Should I tell her about you?"

"To tell the truth, I don't think that will help. She's deluded. She probably needs help. I would suggest just staying away from her as much as possible while we figure out a course of action."

"Of course, then. Should we bring Kirino into this?"

"I don't think she could help, even if she wanted to," said Kuroneko. "It would be best to try to keep everything secret and try not to let Kirino find out. Remember what happened last time?"

The last time Kyousuke tried to meet with Ayase in private, Kirino had found them together. Kyousuke ended up having to salvage Kirino's friendship with Ayase by pretending to have a crush on his own sister, which caused this whole fiasco in the first place.

"Actually, do you want me to go along when you confront her?" asked Kuroneko. "You know, as proof that you're a relatively normal person with a relatively normal date."

"Isn't that stretching the definition of 'normal'? Or 'relatively'? Thanks, but I want to make this as little a deal as possible."

Kuroneko shrugged, and Kyousuke put down several crumpled bills for both their drinks. They split near his house, and Kyousuke opened up the doors.

"I'm home," he said without expecting an answer. He walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of iced tea. Kyousuke finished up the glass and placed it in the sink, then walked into the living room and began browsing through the first magazine he could find, not noticing the figure creeping up on him from behind.


	5. Hostage Love

Kyousuke froze. Had _she_ really broken into his own house? His heart pounded as he turned back to the magazine, pretending he heard nothing even as the magazine shook and his forehead gleamed with cold sweat.

The figure knelt down and rested her head on the couch next to Kyousuke, placing her hand on the magazine and her lips next to Kyousuke's ear.

"That's my magazine you're reading," whispered Kirino.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

"Jeez, what's the big deal?" muttered Kirino. "Have you gone crazy already?"

"Thanks to you, yeah."

"I was just gonna tell you you could read it."

"I just didn't think anyone was home," said Kyousuke. He wiped the sweat off his face, put the magazine down, and climbed the stairs up to his room.

"Want to borrow it?" said Kirino curiously. "It's an otaku magazine for loli fans."

"Hell, no! It was just the first magazine I saw."

"Well, if you're not a _Meruru_ fan, then what do you like?" growled Kirino impatiently as she followed Kyousuke upstairs.

"Hmm…I don't know…maybe _Maschera_?" said Kyousuke.

"Whatever," growled Kirino. "If you need me, I'll be in my room with Ayase."

"Who?"

Kyousuke suddenly dashed up the stairs, shoving Kirino out of the way, as he slammed open the door into Kirino's room. Ayase was sitting on the floor as she spotted Kyousuke and waved innocently.

"Sorry, Ayase. My brother's being an ass," said Kirino, pushing Kyousuke out of the way.

"No, no. It's fine. Actually, does he have to leave so soon?" asked Ayase.

"Yes," said Kyousuke and Kirino in unison.

"Aw, but I'd really like you to stay!" said Ayase.

"No, but I really have to…"

"Get your butt over here!" barked Kirino. Kyousuke reluctantly crept back inside and sat next to Kirino, trying to stay as far away from Ayase as possible.

"Sit by me!" chirped Ayase. She dragged Kyousuke over with a vise-like grip on his arm.

"So…what are we talking about?" asked Kyousuke loudly and awkwardly.

"Modeling," replied Kirino curtly. "So, uh…Ayase…um, have you had a good look at some of the spring designs?"

"Of course!" said Ayase. Changing the subject, she added, "Kyousuke-kun, you know what the most annoying part of being a model is?"

"I don't imagine it's being seen in magazines all over Japan or the more than decent pay."

"No, it's not those."

"Is it the eating disorders? You look like the type."

Kirino kicked Kyousuke, for once justified.

Ayase wasn't fazed. "No. It's having all the boys all over you. Even with a pretty face, you don't get too annoyed if your boobs aren't huge. Unless you're a model. Then they keep on trying to talk to you. And some of them are bad at flirting. They just can't get around to just asking you out."

Kyousuke gulped. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going.

Ayase continued. "Girls like it when guys are direct, because most of them don't know how to be direct themselves. But, I'm different. I'm _very_ direct."

She gazed at Kyousuke and then leaned in to kiss him. Not content with just that, she shoved him down and began making out with him in front of Kirino as she watched, horrified.

"Kyou-chan!" chirped Ayase.

Kirino rushed out of the room, literally having to throw up. Kyousuke slumped on the floor and listened to the vomiting sounds in the toilet, shuddering in anticipation of Kirino's rage and anger.

...

"Do you really have to be so public with it?" exclaimed Kirino as she entered the living room. Even hours later, Kyousuke knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Public? We were in the house!" Kyousuke lay across the couch, with one of Kirino's manga magazines in his hands again. Kirino stomped over and crossed her arms, blocking out Kyousuke's light.

"Well, she obviously still likes you, so humor her."

"But—"

"Just because I've laid off on the physical abuse doesn't mean I can't start it up again. You'll humor her until she comes to her senses. If I hear you've broken her heart, I'll break something of yours that's a little less metaphorical," said Kirino.

Suddenly, she leapt onto Kyousuke's lap, crawled over and nuzzled her head against Kyousuke's cheek with a mischievous grin.

"Let's see you explain this to Kuroneko," she purred.

...

"Walk me home from school, onii-chan!" giggled Ayase. She had somehow managed to walk from the middle school in order to wait outside the high school for Kyousuke.

"Fuck…my…life!" growled Kyousuke. He reluctantly took Ayase in his arm and began to walk her home. As he went on, he spotted Kuroneko walking alone.

_Please don't let her see me…please don't let her see me…_

"Kyou-chan?" said Kuroneko as she saw Ayase in his arms.

_Shit._

"Is that Aragaki?" asked Kuroneko quietly. Meanwhile, Ayase was so absorbed in Kyousuke she didn't even notice Kuroneko.

"I'm trying. I'm trying," said Kyousuke. "But Kirino's physically threatened me if I broke Ayase's heart."

"All right. Do whatever you have to do. Just make it quick."


	6. Sneak Peek

_Remember, rate and review. If you've got a compliment, thank you! But...I want to see you guys rip the story apart like an English professor. I mean, everything. Misplaced modifier, verb shift, all that stuff. Plot holes, out-of-character behavior, rushed parts or overdrawn parts, sentence fragments that don't serve a purpose, anything that's not 100% smooth flow, tell me. Don't mince words either. That is all._

_..._

Kuroneko strutted off, very sure that Kyousuke would bungle things up. She was not at all wrong.

That night, as Kyousuke lay on his bed, a very loud and angry knock on the door interrupted his homework. Kirino burst through without waiting for a reply. With eyes gleaming with rage and fists clenched hard, she thrust the phone at Kyousuke.

"Here," she spat. "It's for you."

"Hello? Ki-ri-no?" sang a voice on the receiver. "Is he on yet?"

Of course, Kirino picked up the call, knowing it was Ayase. She was mad because, instead of talking to her, Ayase asked for Kyousuke.

"Hello?"

"Kyou-chan!" crooned Ayase. "I miss you!"

Kyousuke _wanted_ to yell, "BULLSHIT! I can get your ass thrown in jail for your stunt, you whore! I don't want anything to do with you. Stay the fuck out of my life!"

He _actually_ said, "Uh-huh. Great."

"I wanna see you again," groaned Ayase.

"Uh-huh."

"How about a date this Saturday?"

Kyousuke looked up at Kirino, who gave him a warning stare.

"O-Of course. W-When sh-should I pick you up?"

"In the morning! Like, nine-ish, maybe?"

"U-Uh, yeah! Where sh-should I pick you up?"

"At my house, silly! You've been there!" replied Ayase. "Oh, wait! You don't know where it is."

The subtle reference to _the event_ pierced Kyousuke with a sudden icy jolt as he quickly regained his composure.

"Don't worry, Kirino knows," continued Ayase. "But, for your reference, it's…"

...

_This is only the prelude of the larger story for tomorrow._


	7. First Date Again

Kyousuke stood outside Ayase's house with a dead weight on his shoulders, caught in a dilemma from which he could not escape. Ayase emerged, in a rather tight set of jeans, an earth-toned tank top, a loose, violet jacket, and a pink scarf and an earthy-brown cap.*

As much as Kyousuke hated Ayase, he admitted she had good fashion sense, even better than Kirino's. He begrudgingly took Ayase's hand and accompanied her to the metro.

"Where are we going?" asked Kyousuke.

"Wherever you want!" replied Ayase.

"Home," muttered Kyousuke. In a louder voice, he said, "Well, where do _you_ want to go?"

"Let's visit Akiba!" replied Ayase.

"Let's not."

"We're going to Akiba!" Ayase latched onto Kyousuke and snuggled up against his chest.

"What happened to 'wherever you want'?"

Kyousuke began receiving stares as people wondered how this plain, unassuming high schooler could be going out with the fashionable, attractive nymph next to him. Kyousuke braced himself for a long, awkward ride.

As the train pulled into Akihabara station, Kyousuke got up and gruffly walked off, hardly caring if Ayase caught up or not. He sighed as he saw that Ayase had _not_ fallen behind, and he began walking briskly out the station into the familiar light of Akihabara.

The sun shone over the streets as bright, colorful stores towered over even brighter, more colorful people. Ayase clapped her hands joyfully and ran out towards the shops. Kyousuke dug his hands into his pockets as he pondered over Ayase's true motives.

Ayase stopped in front of a _Meruru_ fan merchandise shop. "Let's go in!"

Kyousuke stared sadly at the _Maschera_ shop across the street behind him as Ayase dragged him inside.

Ayase fluttered through the shelves, marveling at the little figures and the posters and the complete manga sets with special artwork. Kyousuke followed her, recalling that Ayase hated anime. Yet, for some reason, not only did Ayase show an interest in all the different _Meruru_ merchandise on the shelves, she showed a surprising knowledge about the show as she successfully named each character being depicted by the little figures, and every few minutes spouted out a quote from the show.

Ayase flew out of the shop several minutes later and into another loli-themed shop. Kyousuke wandered through the shelves, waiting for Ayase. He stared at the stand to his left and reddened furiously at the sight of a fan-made erotic doujinshi.

He turned around and saw Ayase curled around his shoulders. He screamed, flinging her away. Ayase tilted her head curiously and giggled.

"C'mon! You've gotta show me around all the shops!"

Kyousuke remembered the happier days at Akihabara only a week before, when he had accompanied Kuroneko. He remembered Kuroneko's face as she wandered through the thick shelves of gothic-fantasy manga books. Her face had been the same as Kirino's when she first went to Akiba, or Ayase's now. His heart ached at the thought of Kuroneko.

"How about that shop?" Kyousuke indicated the _Maschera_ shop hopefully. Ayase stared at it and frowned.

"Yuck, how could you like _that_? The novels use all this complicated vocabulary, and show's just about a bunch of guys with teen angst issues."

Kyousuke staggered back, shocked at how much Ayase just sounded like Kirino.

Ayase ran several steps ahead, and Kyousuke forced himself to follow her. There was a manga shop, and there was a video game store. There was a maid café, and there was an anime retailer. Ayase jumped between the shops, spinning and twirling almost incessantly through the stands and about the counters. She even began to buy some of the merchandise, piling them all into Kyousuke's hands.

"Come on! Where do you and Kirino usually go to eat lunch?"

"Well, nowhere special. A McDonald's out a block away from us."

Kyousuke wondered curiously why Ayase would pick that place, out of all the places in Akihabara, to eat. As they entered the restaurant, Kyousuke looked around and found Saori Makishima sitting alone at a table, waving at him.

Kyousuke gulped. He didn't need anyone who knew Kuroneko, much less one of Kuroneko's best friends, to see him with this girl. He tugged at Ayase's shirt.

"Uh, Ayase? Do we have to eat here? We can go someplace else if you want."

"Nuh-uh! I want to eat with you where you and Kirino eat!"

Kyousuke looked over his shoulder at Saori. She was still there, staring at him through the thick glasses that concealed her eyes. She waved again, frantically, with both arms now.

"Ayase, I mean it. I have plenty of money. We can't really experience Akiba without going to a maid café."

"Nope!" Ayase beamed innocently and hugged Kyousuke. Kyousuke panicked and looked over at Saori. This time, she was beckoning him with her hand, trying to get him to come over.

"Ayase, I...don't want to be here!" exclaimed Kyousuke without a better excuse.

Ayase stared up at him. "Well, if you just wanted to eat someplace else, then we could've gone! I thought you _wanted_ to eat here! Come on. Let's go!"

She pulled Kyousuke along, and the two of them left the store. Kyousuke passed by Saori briskly, pretending not to notice her frantic gesturing.

Saori stared at the couple over her burger and fries. She sighed and took a sip from her Coke. "That Kyousuke, always such a loner."

She stared at a particularly long fry and ate it. She shrugged and sighed.

"Kuroneko told me everything. I just wanted to get him over here alone so I could offer my help. Geez, sometimes people think they can do it all on their own."

...

"Welcome home, onii-chan, onee-chan!"

The maid at the cafe bowed. Today was an event day, and instead of the usual French maid outfits, today the waitresses were dressed as younger sisters. Kyousuke groaned softly.

"C'mon, Ayase. Let's go!"

"No, no!" Ayase kept an iron grip. "I'm curious. So, this is a maid café!"

They both took a table, and Ayase inspected the menu, saying, "So, what are you thinking about getting, _onii-chan_?"

Kyousuke groaned again. The waitress arrived at their table, dressed in an elementary school uniform and adorned with pigtails. "What would you like today, onii-tan, onee-tan?"

Ayase mused over the menu and, a newcomer, asked for a recommendation. Kyousuke laid his chin on his hands and ordered rice omelet, one of the less expensive items. He didn't feel very hungry anyway.

The waitress confused Kyousuke's boredom for indifferent coolness. She giggled and bowed to both of them and went off. Fifteen minutes later, she came back with their orders. Kyousuke stared at his omelet before looking up and seeing that the maid was there with a bottle of ketchup.

"Would you like me to write what I'm thinking right now on your omelet, onii-chan?" beamed the waitress.

"Uh, sure," said Kyousuke, only because he wanted ketchup on his omelet anyway. He chose not to pay attention to the waitress's intent gaze. Once she left, Kyousuke picked up his spoon to dig in as he saw the words on his omelet.

_You're cute!_

Ayase hugged Kyousuke as he glared at his omelet in horror. "Looks like you can't get enough of your little sisters, my perverted _onii-chan_!"

She giggled and kissed him on the cheek as Kyousuke sank even deeper in his seat.

...

After lunch, Kyousuke and Ayase passed by a fantasy anime shop. On the storefront window, a giant poster of _Maschera_ greeted Kyousuke, beckoning him to come in. Kyousuke sighed and felt a pang in his heart, recalling his first date with Kuroneko.

He caught up with Ayase, who was leaning with her face pressed against a complete DVD box-set of _Meruru_.

"Isn't this fun?" Ayase turned to Kyousuke with what appeared to be delight. But in her eyes, Kyousuke could detect a slight fog that told him she was faking it. A dim haze that revealed that she hated him, that she hated this place, and that she hated being with him right now. A murky cloud that paralyzed him in place.

Ayase instantly realized her mistake. She clapped her hands together, turned, and chirped, "C'mon, Kyou-chan! Let's go!"

Kyousuke felt himself being dragged along once again. But with this turn of events, the atmosphere had changed. Neither could bear too long to be in Akihabara, and soon, they were on the train ride home. Ayase crawled up next to him and cuddled up next to him.

"I had fun today, Kyou-chan!"

Kyousuke tried to ignore Ayase, but her fawning and preening became more and more intrusive as she tried to get his attention.

Finally, Kyousuke turned towards her. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you for the date."

Kyousuke nodded absentmindedly and was about to turn back in his seat when Ayase grabbed him and kissed him. Kyousuke shuddered as a sweet chill ran down his spine.

...

*I admit it. I'm a guy. I don't know about women's fashion terminology. I was trying to describe Ayase from a certain picture, which I tried to post the link for, but which this site apparently won't allow.

Just Google Images it, and maybe you can find it on the first page.


	8. Lovely Peace

_I asked for in-depth reviews of everything you could find, and I was graciously rewarded. I was asked to include more character development and longer chapters. Well, voilà! _

..._  
_

Kyousuke limped home from school, tired and in a bad mood. He was still grappling with the dilemma in his hands, wondering what he was going to do about Ayase, when, as he opened the door to his house and stumbled into his living room, he noticed Ayase perched on the couch.

"Kyou-chan!" she squeaked. "You're home!"

"Wha—?" Kyousuke was pulled by his shirt to the couch as Ayase mounted him and stuffed her tongue in Kyousuke's mouth.

"Ayase! Kyousuke! What the hell are you doing!"

Kirino peered from above the stairs, drawn out by the sound, staring at them both in disgust. Kyousuke took the opportunity to push Ayase aside and run up to his room.

"Hey, Kirino!" Ayase waved and skipped upstairs.

"I told you you could go downstairs and wait for my brother. I didn't say you could go downstairs so you could molest him!"

"Loosen up, Kirino!"

…

Kyousuke peered out the crack in his door. Seeing that Ayase was in Kirino's room, he snuck out and crept downstairs for the glass of iced tea he never got to pour.

As he relaxed on the couch, the phone rang. Kyousuke answered.

"Hello?" he said.

"Kyousuke, have you broken up with her yet?"

"No, Ruri," sighed Kyousuke.

"I called yesterday. That was interesting," said Kuroneko. "Kirino answered, of course. She said you were out."

Kyousuke gulped.

"I asked her when you'd be back," continued Kuroneko. "She said it would be awhile. I asked her why you were out. She said you were going into the city for some shopping."

Kyousuke began to sweat.

"I asked if she was home alone. She said she was. Said something about Ayase being in the city for some shopping, too."

Kyousuke began to palpitate.

"When I heard that, I wasn't angry," said Kuroneko. "I know you, I let it go. I didn't ask any further."

Kyousuke could feel Kuroneko's acid voice soak into his bones.

"I have _complete_ faith that you will handle all of this in a timely manner, _am I right_?"

"Y-Yes!" Kyousuke quickly hung up and lay sprawled on the sofa, heaving anxiously.

…

Kyousuke trudged home from school again the next day. He was greeted at the door by a provocatively dressed Ayase. Kyousuke gazed at her light pastel tee and her white shorts cut off high above her knee and shivered with temptation.

"I missed you, onii-chan," whimpered Ayase.

"Hey, Ayase," muttered Kyousuke.

Ayase scampered after Kyousuke into the kitchen, clinging onto him as he poured his daily iced tea. She sat down next to him, playing with his hair as Kyousuke sipped from his glass, absentmindedly browsing a _Meruru_ mag. Realizing who he was with, he quickly threw aside the magazine, not wanting to reinforce the already messed-up image Ayase had of him.

"Ayase? Are you molesting Kyousuke again?" Kirino popped down from upstairs and saw Ayase cuddling against Kyousuke. Curious, Kirino crept into the living room.

"Hey, Kirino," said Ayase.

Kirino gave a genuinely happy laugh, pleased at the rather charming sight of Kyousuke and Ayase together. Even Kyousuke was losing his deathly resistant expression, simply wearing a rather flustered scowl.

"You two really do look cute together," said Kirino. She smiled and even considered hugging Kyousuke as well. Deciding against it, she reluctantly pulled Ayase away and dragged her into her room.

…

"Onii-chan, can we go out today?" asked Ayase as she clung onto Kyousuke's arm the next day.

"Can you…please not call me that?" grunted Kyousuke.

"Why not, onii-chan?" moaned Ayase.

"There's so many things wrong with that I can't even start to explain," replied Kyousuke.

Ayase averted her eyes and blushed. "Can I just call you Kyousuke then?"

Kyousuke stared up at the ceiling. "Uh, sure, Ara—I mean…Ayase."

"OK! Kyousuke, can we go out today?"

"Sorry, I have a Japanese Literature test tomorrow," replied Kyousuke with genuine regret.

…

"I'm ready, Kyousuke!" Ayase was standing outside the Kousaka house in a cream-colored sundress, with a straw hat to block out the sun's rays, a tiny purse she clasped in her hands, white sandals that encased her small feet, and an eager look bursting with anticipation.

"Oh, yeah. Didn't you want to go out yesterday?" said Kyousuke.

"Of course. I mean, we can just go to the local café if you want."

"Um, sure." Kyousuke accompanied Ayase, feeling a very different set of emotions for the first time as he accompanied his former nemesis to the café.

Ayase furrowed her brow and pouted as she scanned the tiny black letters on the menu. Kyousuke barely glanced at the menu before tossing it aside.

"You know what you want to get already?" said Ayase.

"Yeah. An iced latte. I always get that."

"Always?"

"Uh-huh."

"How boring," sighed Ayase, anxiously adding, "Uh, no! That's not what I meant! I mean…how…well, um…How do you stand getting the same thing every time?"

"Dunno," shrugged Kyousuke. "I just do. I like the drink. Even if I don't always feel like one every particular visit, I order it, cause I know it's reliably good."

Ayase sighed again. "Really? I always try to order something different. Even if I got something I liked last time. Out of fifty-something drinks, even if I like one drink, there's forty-nine other drinks I'd miss out on if I didn't try them."

"Huh." Not a shrug of indifference. This "huh" was more a nod of acknowledgment, a hats-off to Ayase if you will.

"But I haven't tried the latte yet," said Ayase.

"That's one of the most popular drinks."

"Yeah, but it's the most fattening," said Ayase, adding in a soft voice, "Modeling."

"Oh, yeah…"

"I wish I were Kirino sometimes," said Ayase.

Kyousuke was momentarily hit with a burst of intense fear at a sensitive topic that could go anywhere. His fears were thankfully unfounded, though, as Ayase continued.

"I really envy her," said Ayase. "And Kanako, too. They can both eat lots of food and not get fat."

"Really?"

"Of course! Some of the modeling shoots have these huge dessert stands with all these donuts and petits fours, and Kanako and Kirino just rip through them!"

Kyousuke laughed. "That's ridiculous!"

"Kirino's mouth just goes back like a boa constrictor. It's like, you feel sorry for the petits fours. It's like a nature show."

Kyousuke burst out laughing. "_My_ sister?"

The waitress came with both their drinks. Ayase had a magnificent orange cream soda topped with pieces of fresh fruit, while Kyousuke had his caramel latte. The two stared at each other and their drinks. With a nod, they switched orders.

…

Ayase felt an odd feeling beginning to twitch in her heart. As she spent more time with Kyousuke, it felt less like a chore and more like a pleasant treat. Talk of anime and manga was promptly dropped. Every day, Ayase would wait at the house or outside the gates of Kyousuke's school, and whatever they decided to talk about varied with the day. If one day, the two of them strolled home under a gray pall of clouds, the only words that might be exchanged would be, "It's a shit day." This would be compensated when, on a bright, sunny day, the conversation would wind from the beautiful weather to a recent visit to a park to the flowers that were blooming to the latest fashion designs to the dazzling city skyline at night.

Ayase felt a soft bloom blush in her heart. A weight was being lifted almost magically from her shoulders. The lanky, aloof boy next to her was no longer her enemy; it was as if his features had been softened through a filter, and his bored, depressive scowl was only a mask.

Kyousuke marveled at the fascinating transformation in Ayase as well. She no longer moved with stilted, forced cuteness. Her natural charm shined through the false façade, and her real personality was far more intricate and fascinating than the constructed one. He couldn't even remember why he was mad at her in the first place…

…

"It's for you."

Kirino presented the phone. Kyousuke caught it in his hands and held the receiver unsuspectingly to his ears.

"What…are…you…_doing_?"

Kuroneko's metallic hiss jarred against Kyousuke's ears. Her fury seemed to _emanate_ from her like a field.

"K-Kuroneko?"

"Didn't you say you would handle Aragaki?" said Kuroneko with a barely controlled fit of rage.

"I, uh…"

"It's been a month," said Kuroneko. Her voice shaking now, she repeated herself. "It's been a _month_."

Kyousuke sank in his seats. "K-Kuroneko..."

"Have you fallen for her?" squeaked Kuroneko. "You didn't use my name just now."

"R-Ruri, please…"

"Do you love her?"

"What?"

"Just answer me. D-Do you love her?" Kuroneko's voice cracked.

Kyousuke held the receiver delicately in his hands. "R-Ruri…please…"

"J-Just come to the Akihabara station North Entrance at nine o'clock Saturday morning."

"Ruri?" Kyousuke shook the phone in his hands. She had hung up.

…

Kyousuke slouched at the station entryway. He stared at his watch. 8:55. He came early specifically to eliminate any risk of being late. He glanced through the crowd, waiting for Kuroneko.

"Kyousuke."

Kyousuke turned around. Kuroneko stood nervously at the entrance, dressed in a relatively normal, "mundane" pink summer dress. Her long, straight locks in the back were cut short to her neck. On either side of her head, two tiny pink ribbons tied her hair slightly back. Kuroneko nodded and greeted Kyousuke with a shy smile.

"Ku—Ruri?" said Kyousuke.

Kuroneko walked toward Kyousuke shyly. "I-I thought you might have grown tired of the loli catgirl look. I wanted to dress normally today."

Kyousuke hugged Kuroneko. "That's bullshit. I love your cat ears and your old outfit."

Ruri blushed. "Oh."

"I like this outfit, too, though. You look really cute like this. But you should grow your hair back."

Ruri smiled a little and nodded.

"So, uh, what's the purpose of the meeting?"

Kuroneko clasped Kyousuke's hand. "Are you free the rest of the day?"

Kyousuke stared at Kuroneko in surprise. With little hesitation, he nodded with a wide grin.

Even if Kuroneko looked like an innocent, naïve schoolgirl, her tastes were the same as ever. Kyousuke staggered under the weight of explicit yaoi eroge Kuroneko piled in his arms.

Made ever more apparent by Kuroneko's new outfit was the contrast between her affectionate side and her razor-sharp, caustic exterior. Everywhere they went, Kyousuke and Kuroneko were accosted by otaku who confused Kuroneko for a cosplayer [_Author's Note: Brownie points if you can guess the anime/manga character Kuroneko accidentally cosplayed_].

"Look here!"

"Turn over here!"

"Hey, dude, move out of the way! We can't get a shot!"

Kuroneko glowered at all of them. "Get the fuck out of our way, or I will paint this sidewalk with your blood."

Everyone scampered away, some from the threat, others because Kuroneko had just shattered their cosplay illusions.

"Doesn't act like her at all…" muttered one otaku.

"Weren't you a little too harsh with those guys?" said Kyousuke.

Kuroneko turned her eyes up to her boyfriend, her eyes brimming with (fake) tears. "Are you mad, onii-chan?"

Kyousuke shuddered and began to wave his arms frantically. "No! I didn't mean that!"

Kuroneko giggled and clung onto Kyousuke. "Onii-chan!"

This was a side of her never seen by anyone but Kyousuke and Kuroneko's family. But, even then, Kuroneko was heavily burdened with the weight that came with Kyousuke's continued association with Ayase Aragaki.

While Kyousuke coasted through the day carefree, savoring each moment he spent with Kuroneko, Kuroneko enjoyed every moment only with a tentative, delicate hesitation in her heart.

The two of them ended up on the same bench in the same park they had been on so many dates past. Kuroneko whimpered softly, conflicted and wondering how to word her question.

"Kyousuke?" she said.

"Ruri?"

"I still want to know. My question from yesterday. Do you love Ayase?"

"What?"

"Do you love Ayase?"

Kyousuke stared back out at the sunset. Kuroneko turned away in tears, ready to close the heartbreaking chapter of her and Kyousuke's relationship when Kyousuke suddenly placed his hand on Kuroneko's back, turned her toward him, and kissed her. He clutched her hand, twining his fingers between hers.

Kuroneko blushed in embarrassment. She pouted moodily and squeaked, angrily, "_Baka_!"

Kyousuke laughed. "C'mon. Let's go home."

Kuroneko was still holding her hand at her lips on the train back. She turned to Kyousuke, watching him. There was no doubt he still loved her. At that, Kuroneko bowed her head, suddenly sorry for all the cold treatment she had given him. She raised her head and wanted to thank him. She wanted to find something to say that could properly show her gratitude and convey her genuine regret and show her admiration at Kyousuke's remarkable steadfastness.

"Kyousuke…"

Kyousuke turned toward Kuroneko with the same faint smile he had worn after the kiss. "Hm?"

"I-I…"

Kuroneko struggled to find the words, becoming wordier and wordier and murkier and murkier with her words inside her head. Her cheeks glowed from frustration and her hands shook at her sides, furious at her inability to express her feelings.

"_Aho-o-o-o-o_!"

...

...

...

_Ending notes start here. ANSWER TO "COSPLAY" RIDDLE HERE._

_I actually had a general framework for the story, with a few draft chapters worked out already. Since publishing Chapter 1, though, I've doubled my planned chapters and I've tripled my planned word output. I sincerely thank everyone who had anything to say about the story, and I sincerely ask everyone to continue to offer input. But the greatest thanks of all can come not from posting it in the reviews, or by sending me a PM, but by deciding from this story to write yourself._

_And for the cosplay riddle, here goes..._

_If you've looked at the manga or seen the anime, you should know who I'm talking about. I probably made it too obvious for the hardcore fans. If you're not one of those, Kuroneko cut her hair short and tied her hair on both sides with two tiny ribbons. If only she had the Maijima High School uniform and a book, she would have been a perfect double of Shiori Shiomiya from The World God Only Knows._

_Why did I choose Shiori? Kuroneko and Shiori were voiced by the same voice actress, Kana Hanazawa. Perhaps my second-favorite seiyuu, after Kanae Ito (Sorry, Kana. Can't beat Amu Hinamori from Shugo Chara)  
_


	9. An Awkward, Important Moment

_This chapter is a little shorter, and it shifts its focus. The next chapter will move back to the "triangle"._

After the date with Kuroneko, nothing much changed. Ayase still came over almost every day after school, giving Kyousuke a kiss at the door, and occasionally sneaking up into his room to give him something more.

Ayase and Kirino were sitting on the floor, talking about school, boys, track, and other random chatter. The topic of Kyousuke came up with an offhand remark by Kirino.

"I'm still surprised what you see in Kyousuke," said Kirino. "But you two get along a lot better than I thought."

Ayase observed Kirino thoughtfully. "Why do you always say that? What's so bad about Kyousuke anyway?"

Kirino shrugged. "He's an annoying ass. That's mostly it."

Ayase observed Kirino's reaction curiously. How different Kirino's Kyousuke was from _her_ Kyousuke. In fact, Kirino seemed rather indifferent about her brother.

"But, you know, I think my relationship with Kyousuke's become a lot healthier lately," said Kirino with a smile.

Ayase perked up her ears. This was the dirt she wanted to hear. With an expectant gaze, she said, "Why? What'd he do to you before?"

Kirino laughed, to Ayase's surprise. "Just being an ass. He never paid attention to me. You know, with that stupid scowl and everything. Actually, you might not like my otaku gear, but that helped us get closer together. He's still an aloof moron, but he's a lot cooler now."

Ayase absorbed the words with an unusual focus. "Really?"

"Sure. I'm glad you're with him. You're totally out of his league, of course, but whatever you want."

Ayase leaned back. "Yeah…"

…

Kyousuke walked up to his room. Ayase was not at the door or in the living room, so she must have been in his bedroom. Kyousuke's heart beat a little faster, a bit _too_ excited about what probably awaited him there, considering Ayase's age.

He was right. Ayase was in his bedroom, lying on the bed, but with a book in her hands. Kyousuke saw it was his first printing of the first manga volume for _Maschera_. He snuck over and watched her absorbing the characters and dialogue with ravenous zeal.

"You found my _Maschera_," said Kyousuke.

"Eh? You're here? I mean, uh, yeah! It was on your bookshelf, so I was curious." Ayase quickly shuffled the manga aside.

Kyousuke smiled and took the manga back. "It's good. A bit thick on the gay sexual tension, which isn't my thing, obviously. But the plot's deep, and there's character development. Much better than _Meruru_, of course."

Ayase was startled by this. "You don't like _Meruru_?"

"I can't stand _Meruru_! Kirino made me watch the whole anime series, and she gave me the manga and pretty much hovered over me the whole time, asking me how much I read so far every time I saw her. And then there's the doujinshi and eroge, which was just plain fucked up. She made me read all of them and play every g—"

Kyousuke halted and choked on his own words. He suddenly remembered the time when Ayase had almost cut off her friendship with Kirino. It was when Ayase found out about Kirino's otaku hobby, particularly the more adult elements of Kirino's otaku hobby. Ayase was right then only slowly accepting Kirino's love of eroge games, but she didn't yet know the extent of Kirino's perverse sensibilities.

Ayase giggled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to break up my friendship with Kirino over eroge."

"But you _did_ that once."

Ayase sighed. "Yeah…but I realized a long time ago Kirino's too great to lose over porn games. Even if she's _that_ obsessed with them."

Kyousuke nodded in quiet amazement at Ayase's change of heart.

Ayase took back the manga from Kyousuke's hands. "So, what's with this?"

"Huh?"

"_Maschera_? It's so different from _Meruru_."

"Yeah, it's a manga, but it's a different genre. It's, like, teen fantasy, while _Meruru_'s magical girl."

"Genres?"

"You know, like, mecha, harem, that sort of stuff. There's all sorts of otaku for all sorts of different genres of manga and anime and games."

"Wow…" Ayase opened up the manga again, as if it had been cleansed.

Kyousuke grinned, amazed that perhaps Ayase had a genre of manga she might be genuinely interested in.

Ayase looked up, a little flustered. "Oh, um…may I borrow this?"

"Sure. But please be careful with it. It's a first edition, and it was a gift from…a friend."

Ayase nodded happily. Almost as if a spark of memory had lit in her mind, though, she smiled slyly. "Oh, yeah…I shouldn't forget why I came in here in the first place."

She set the book aside and crawled toward Kyousuke, unbuttoning her blouse as she reached for his pants.

"N-No, A-Ayase, that's n-not n-necess—A-A-A-A-AUGH!"

…

"Hey, Kirino, can you show me some of your eroge?"

The request was rather sudden, yet Ayase seemed suddenly interested. Kirino giggled nervously and backed away from Ayase slightly-too-excited eyes.

"Why?" said Kirino. "I thought you thought they were disgusting."

"I do, but maybe it's only because I haven't tried them out, yet," said Ayase. "I was just curious about them."

This was all old hat for Ayase. She still couldn't stand eroge, just as she couldn't stand Meruru and anything magical girl related. But right then, somehow, her enthusiasm was not feigned and stilted as it had been in the first weeks of her "relationship" with Kyousuke.

"O-Okay," said Kirino. She mentally went through her eroge collection, thinking of a less explicit title. Her eroge was divided into two categories: ones she played for the story and ones she played when she was feeling horny. Obviously, Kirino picked a game from the first category. It was rather tame, with only a few "scenes." She loaded it up and sat aside awkwardly as the game loaded. Even though she played these games alone whenever she felt like it, it was far more embarrassing doing it next to her best friend.

Ayase clicked through the title screen and began playing. Kirino sat to the side, offering a few tips.

"Yeah, that girl's a tsundere. That means she's going to be mean to you, and you have to pick the most desperate-looking and extreme options. That way, you open up her heart, and she starts turning sweeter and more affectionate…"

Kirino covered her mouth, embarrassed. Ayase nodded and giggled reassuringly.

Kirino's enthusiasm for the games began to show even more as Ayase went deeper into the game.

"See, this was one of the harder games I had to beat. You actually have to go like this…"

Kirino flew through the maze of options with the hidden zeal she revealed to few. Ayase watched, astounded but approving.

Almost two hours later, Kirino stowed all her games. "Um, that's mostly it for now. There's some others, but they're…"

Ayase nodded. "Thanks for showing me!"

Kirino blushed. "That was awkward…"

"Sure, but think about how weird it was for me!" replied Ayase with a smile. "No, seriously, though. It wasn't as bad as I thought."

"You know, I haven't told most people about my manga. I've told even fewer people about the eroge. Could you keep it a secret?"

Ayase fidgeted nervously, flush with the knowledge that Kirino had just entrusted her with such a lofty secret. She nodded and turned to leave, giving a little wave with her fingers.

...

Only days later did Kirino realize that Ayase's curiosity was never about the eroge.


	10. Misunderstandings and Misfortunes

Ayase had become a fixture at the Kousaka household. It had been two months since "the incident", and Kyousuke had yet to tell Ayase about Kuroneko. This was a precarious situation, and Kyousuke knew it. He was aware of the risks, but even he would not know the full effect of the fallout when this delicate arrangement finally collapsed.

It happened on an unsuspecting spring sunny day, a few days after Ayase's first experience with eroge. Ayase waited outside Kyousuke's school, and the two walked home together.

"Hey, Kyousuke, wanna hang out at the cafe?" said Ayase, pointing towards it.

"Su-" Kyousuke was about to nod when he caught a pair of red eyes, a set of straight, black bangs, a frilly blouse, and silken black cat ears. Kuroneko was sitting inside, staring at him through the window.

"Uh, sorry! Can't!" exclaimed Kyousuke.

"Why?" asked Ayase.

"I have a lot of stuff! Yeah, stuff!" Kyousuke ran off in the direction of home, leaving a confused Ayase behind.

...

Kyousuke bolted through the streets. He came to a four-way intersection and turned left. He went on until he reached another intersection and then turned left again. He continued to a third crossing, where he turned left once more. Looking around to make sure Ayase wasn't there, Kyousuke slowed his run as he approached the café once again. He quickly entered and took the seat across from Kuroneko.

Kuroneko had been gazing out the window the whole time, frozen as if a marble statue. She turned to Kyousuke, and her gaze sharpened from a sleepy lilt to a cold, sharp glare.

"Kyousuke, we're still going out, right?"

"Yeah! Of course. Didn't we just go on a date last Sunday?"

"Have you told Ayase about me yet?"

Kyousuke sucked in a great amount of air.

"Kyousuke..." Kuroneko's gaze was turning venomous now, a warning sign.

"No..." sighed Kyousuke.

Kuroneko nodded, exasperated but not surprised.

"I'm going home with you."

She got up to leave. Kyousuke hurriedly paid down the bill and followed Kuroneko out as she walked straight towards his house, ignoring Kyousuke's repeated assurances that he didn't need her help.

"Ruri, it's fine! I've got everything under control!" protested Kyousuke as Kuroneko continued on to the steps of the Kousaka house. "Come on, Ruri! It's all taken care of. I promise!"

Kuroneko opened the door. Standing at the doorway was Ayase, dressed in a translucent pink tank top and white capris. She slunk towards Kyousuke seductively and made out with him in front of Kuroneko. She gently pawed at him as she licked him on the side of his cheek.

"What the hell was that, Kyousuke?" moaned Ayase, ignoring Kuroneko. "I waited for you for almost half an hour! You never came home!"

Kuroneko cleared her throat very loudly. "You're Aragaki, I presume?"

"Why, yes! And who might you be?" said Ayase with a smile.

"My name is Ruri Goko. I'm Kyousuke's girlfriend."

"W-What? Girlfriend?"

"Let me repeat myself. I'm Kyousuke's girlfriend. As in, I'm Kyousuke's girlfriend, not you. Let's make that clear. _I_ have an actual relationship with him. _You_, on the other hand, tied my boyfriend up and used him as your personal sex toy. There is a difference."

"I…I…" Ayase was taken back by this girl's huffy attitude, not sure _what_ was going on.

"You're being a nuisance. Kyousuke doesn't want you here. I don't want you here. Please leave immediately. You're trespassing."

"Kyousuke! Who the hell is this…this bitch?"

"She's my girlfriend, Ayase." Kyousuke bowed his head weakly, not daring to say more.

Ayase, taken aback with the abrupt turn of events, stared up with tears flooding her eyes. Kyousuke stood stalwart and unbending with a look that told Ayase to leave immediately. She began to crumple at the doorway, sobbing. Ayase stomped out as she thrust a familiar looking book back to Kyousuke. It was the _Maschera_ manga Ayase had borrowed a few days earlier. Kyousuke set it aside as he watched Ayase leave. Her next words were a warning of things to come.

"You'll regret this, Kyousuke Kousaka! You will! I promise it!"

Kyousuke and Kuroneko watched Ayase run off. Kuroneko turned to Kyousuke. "Kirino said you couldn't break her heart. She never said I couldn't."

"How'd you know she'd be here?"

"What? I didn't know that. I wanted to come home with you so I could do _this_."

With a playful giggle, she stood up on her tip-toes to kiss Kyousuke. Kyousuke felt her push him back, and he stumbled backwards until he fell on the stairs. He lay there as the two of them began making out on the lower steps of the stairs.

"Kuroneko!" exclaimed Kirino suddenly. "If you're going to do that, do it in his room!"

...

Ayase limped home weakly, with the very recent turn of events fresh in Ayase's mind. The cat-eared freak had pushed her out like that, and Kyousuke had stood by complacently.

"That two-timing asshole..." muttered Ayase.

She walked further, her countenance growing darker with each step.

"Of course," added Ayase. "What else should I expect...from a eroge-playing, sister-loving pervert!"

Ayase raised her head, her eyes blazing with a familiar dangerous blue, her mouth twisted in a delusional smile.

With a corrosive, flat voice, she added, with a flick of her fingers. "I really _must_ save Kirino from this sorry excuse for a brother...and his bitch of a girlfriend!"


	11. Guilt and Punishment

Kyousuke stepped into the house with a chill of anticipation. He flinched at the unfamiliar silence. Then, he remembered the gristly confrontation from the other day and sighed. Now that Ayase had established herself as a regular at the Kousaka house, her absence now was that much more painful.

Kyousuke slumped up the stairs and headed wearily for his room. He passed by Kirino's room and heard her whining over the phone.

"Really, Ayase? Is it that bad? I was at your place yesterday! _Every_ day? No, if you want to see me every day, you can come by like you used to. Yeah, I know, but I can make sure he's not here. I'll tie him up and lock him in his room or something. _Ayase_! Fine, I'll see you in a bit."

Kirino hung up and walked out of her room. She glared at Kyousuke in the hall. "Move, asshole."

"A jolly hello to you, too," said Kyousuke.

Kirino didn't even talk to Kyousuke for the rest of the day, nor did she for almost the rest of the week. Ironically, she didn't know about Kuroneko's role, far greater in the fallout than Kyousuke's. Therefore, while Kirino wouldn't talk to Kyousuke anymore, Kuroneko was sprawled on the floor in Kirino's room with several sheets of paper laid out, helping Kirino with her next light novel. Even if Kuroneko was jealous of Kirino, who had five volumes to her name, she still felt the need to help her friend.

"Kuroneko, what the hell is this? Did you bleed over my paper? What are these scrawls?"

"That's kanji. It's a very important part of our language. Start using it. I can only stand reading baby script for so long."

"I don't even know half these words!"

"That's because they're high school level."

"Goddamn it, Kuroneko…"

Kuroneko tilted her head haughtily. "Whatever. I guess some people are just allergic to good literature."

Kirino pouted. "Why did I ask you to do this again?"

"As an excuse to get me to hang out with you."

"You're right," said Kirino. "Let's talk about Kyousuke. Namely, why you're still with him."

"He's cute," said Kuroneko with a shrug.

"He broke my best friend's heart," said Kirino. "She hates him now."

Kuroneko turned her head away with a guilty look.

Kirino continued. "I mean, I knew it would happen. I just thought he'd be a little more tactful." Kirino sighed, and in a far more serious voice, added, "I mean, Ayase's my best mundane friend [_Author's Note: "mundane" is a term meaning "not otaku"_]. But she's always been a bit out of it. A little clingy and kind of lonely. After she got with Kyousuke, she started getting better. You'd think if he helped her that much, he would have known how to be more sensitive about it, right?"

Kuroneko glanced at Kirino. "He wasn't?"

"No, Ayase says he was really blunt and told her to get out."

Kuroneko lay back down on the floor. _Aragaki never mentioned me?  
_

Kirino sighed again and kicked her legs against her mattress. "Boys can seriously be mean. Or just stupid."

Kuroneko flexed her head up from flat on the ground. "Yeah, I know. But I love Kyousuke despite those."

"You mean you love him despite his flaws?"

"Yeah. He's got plenty of them. He's obnoxious and a little haughty, but he really cares about me."

Kirino gazed at Kuroneko with a strange expression on her face. "Yeah…"  
…

Ayase curled up in her bed, hugging her pillow, deep in thought. She wasn't really angry at Kyousuke or his girlfriend. If she were, she would have revealed Kuroneko's role in the incident. The arguing and bickering between Kuroneko and Kirino that would have happened would have been revenge enough. But Ayase had her own reasons for not wanting that. No, she wasn't mad. Being mad only muddied things and made things complicated.

Even without Kyousuke, Ayase was feeling an urge to go to the local café. She lifted herself off the bed and walked all the way there. She sat at the booth, alone, and stared at the menu.

"May I take your order?" said the waitress.

Ayase bobbed her head slightly, inspecting the little black letters and the large color pictures.

"Iced latte, please."

…

Kuroneko lay on the ground in Kyousuke's room, drugged by the warm sun, too lazy to move. Kyousuke opened up the door, saw Kuroneko on the ground waiting for him, and joined her. For the next few minutes, the two of them relaxed on the floor until Kuroneko burst out the question she had been thinking for some time.

"Kyousuke, are you mad at me?" said Kuroneko.

"About what?" said Kyousuke.

"Well, about Ayase." Kuroneko had a look of anguish on her face, one that revealed the guilt and pain that had consumed her.

Kyousuke remained silent without an adequate answer. Perhaps the awkward silences that appeared whenever Ayase's name was accidentally mentioned had tipped Kuroneko off. Truth was, Kyousuke had no idea what to think about the whole thing. Really, he felt sorrier for Ayase than himself. She was broken after the confrontation, and it was all his fault for not standing up for her. Kuroneko had acted out of a false idea of Ayase she had, and it was all his fault for not correcting her. This delicate arrangement had collapsed into a mess, and it was all his fault.

"Kyousuke..." said Kuroneko, trying to prompt him into answering. Kyousuke grabbed Kuroneko and hugged her, satisfying her without giving a verbal answer.

…

The next day, Kyousuke walked home from school, alone. It was unbearably lonely without anyone else along with him. As he walked through the scattered groups of students going home from school, he could detect the fleeting sight of dark, midnight-blue hair. Kyousuke turned and saw nothing. Several days later, he saw the mysterious form again, but again couldn't catch it upon turning.

...

Kuroneko glided through the darkly lit shops of Akihabara, browsing through _Maschera_ doujinshi. In the almost black air of the store, she nearly missed the only slightly lighter midnight blue hair of the person next to her. Kuroneko looked up, but the person (a boy or a girl?) was gone.


	12. The Fire

"When's onii-san coming over, onee-chan?"

The toddler asking the question stared up at her sister, a diminutive girl with soft blue eyes and black hair cut into straight bangs, who was at the moment preparing dinner for herself and her sister. It would have been hard to tell that this caring figure was the same sultry cat-girl who Kyousuke was dating.

"I'm telling you, I don't plan on it for awhile yet. And I'm the only one who can call him that!" replied Kuroneko.

"Well, when you two get married, he'll be onii-san, won't he?" said Kuroneko's sister.

Kuroneko's cheeks turned a bright pink. "Oh, just watch the TV!"

Kuroneko's sister turned back to the screen and watched as Meruru changed into her magic-girl outfit.

"Onee-chan? What's for dinner?"

"Salad, and…I haven't decided what else yet. Why?"

"It smells funny. Like it's burnt."

"You can't burn salad. As bad a cook as you think I am, even I can't do that."

"Well, _something's_ burning."

"What?" Kuroneko turned around. She walked into the living room and saw a thin trail of smoke coming into the other doorway in. She ran ominously out and into the hallway and saw an even thicker trail of darker smoke billowing in from upstairs.

The smoke detector began to blare. Kuroneko yanked the remote control from her sister's hands and turned it off.

"Come on. We've got to get out!"

"But what about the burnt dinner?"

"That's not dinner! I'm calling 1-1-9!"

...

Five minutes later, Kyousuke heard the blaring of fire trucks down his street. He looked outside his window and saw them swerving by the house. He watched them turn a distant corner, the same corner that led to Kuroneko's house. Instinctively, he grabbed his coat and dashed out the door.

...

Kuroneko and her sister rushed outside. "Mom and Dad's gonna be in for a surprise tonight…"

Fire trucks sped down their road and stopped in front of the house. A few minutes later, Kyousuke arrived, nearly knocking Kuroneko over.

"What happened?" said Kyousuke, staring up at the gray clouds of smoke.

"I-I don't know! It started upstairs, so we were OK." Suddenly, Kuroneko's eyes swelled up with tears. "B-But…my room! It's…all my books and DVD's and games! Oh, my God!"

She collapsed and began to cry in Kyousuke's arms.

"I-I…I'm glad everyone's OK…but…all those years of collecting!" Kuroneko wailed with her arms wrapped around Kyousuke's legs.

Kyousuke gently pulled Kuroneko up and opened up his jacket. He pulled out a book from inside and presented it to Kuroneko.

"Ruri-san, I've enjoyed the _Maschera_ series. For all the vocabulary and indecipherable words, the plot is actually very well-written. But I want you to have this. It would be far more useful to you than to me."

It was the first-printing manga Kuroneko had given him several dates ago. Kuroneko held it delicately in her hands, her blue eyes marveling up at Kyousuke.

"It'll be perfect to rebuild your collection with. As much as Kirino hates _Maschera_, she shouldn't mind holding onto your collection for you until you can get your house repaired."

Kuroneko clutched onto Kyousuke's shirt. "Thank you!"

The hoses died down, and Kuroneko was called over by the firemen to answer questions about the fire. Kyousuke stood around and decided to look around. He walked into the backyard and found, to his shock, that the fence out back was damaged, as if someone had climbed over it. He looked back and noticed a large chunk of the windowsill in Kuroneko's room was carved off, as if a grappling hook being unstuck had torn at the wood.

"Kyousuke!" screamed a voice out front. Kyousuke rushed in a panic.

"The firemen…they…" stuttered Kuroneko.

"Yes?" prompted Kyousuke. He hugged Kuroneko tight.

"They…they…said the fire started in my room. They found a bunch of charred bits of my manga…They said…there was a starter used. It's not clear what it was, but…it looks like perfume!"

"Perfume?"

...

Kyousuke slumped home in a daze, still shocked by the fire. He slumped over on the couch, ignoring Kirino as she went down the steps.

"What's up with you?" she said.

"You haven't heard yet?" said Kyousuke.

"No. I know you ran out the house half an hour ago, and now you're back."

"Kuroneko's house was on fire."

"What?" Kirino rushed over to Kyousuke. "What did they find? How did it happen?"

"They're still trying to figure out," lied Kyousuke. Suddenly sitting up, he sniffed the air. "What's that?"

"Perfume."

"Why are you wearing that in the house? Are you going somewhere tonight?"

"No. I'm just trying it out. You know, you have to keep a perfume on for an extended period of time to really test it out."

"Yeah, I know. When'd you get new perfume?"

"The fashion company we did modeling for last Tuesday. They gave all the models a free sample of their upcoming perfume line as thanks."

"Were all the models there?"

Kirino glared at her brother. "What do you mean by _that_, pervert?"

"Like, your friends. Anyone not there?"

"They were all there. Kanako…Ayase…"

Kyousuke fell back on the couch.

...

"Ruri, there's something I need to tell you."

Kuroneko gazed sadly at Kyousuke. "It's about the fire, isn't it?"

They were both seated on the sofa at Saori's house, where Kuroneko and her family were staying. Kyousuke nodded. "I think I know who—"

Kuroneko stopped. "I know."

They both sat silently. Kuroneko snuggled against Kyousuke, tears flowing down her cheeks. Kyousuke leaned softly against her head.

...

The warm, dry spring day brought colorful flowers and lush plants into town. Everywhere, there were birds and other animals playing in the grass, except at one house, whose yard was barren, trampled as it was by the feet of so many firefighters just a week before.

The house itself stood as a half-burnt wreck, with the facade intact, but the charred framework clearly showing in the back.

Condolences were made to the Goko family, and everyone knew the family was all right. Nonetheless, there was a haunting quality about the house, one that spoke of frustrations and pains and suffering. It was all right when the builders came to rebuild the house. There was activity and people moving about. The builders were friendly to the kids out in the street, and the old house was slowly torn down, and a new house was slowly rebuilt. The charred parts were all gone within a week.

But, when the builders left in the afternoon, the house looked sullen and ill. No one dared go near it. Not only children, but a few adults would cross the street just to avoid passing the house.

It was on one of these sunny, warm spring days that one lone figure not only did not cross the street to avoid the house, but turned and walked up to the yard, which should have recovered by now, but was only barely growing. The lone figure trod her relentless pace until she was right in front of the house.

Ayase Aragaki stood alone.

"That was just a warning," whispered Ayase. She opened up a bottle of perfume, poured a small drop on her palm, and smeared it across the front door.


	13. Kuroneko's Day

"Hey, Saori."

"Hey, Kuroneko!"

"I want to thank you for convincing your family to let us stay at your place while the house gets rebuilt," said Kuroneko as she cradled the phone in her hands.

"No problem. We've got a big house. There's room. I'll do everything for my friends."

"Well, that's great, because I need another favor."

"Sure."

"Take back the offer."

"What?"

"Tell them there's not enough room or something. Anything. I just can't stay at your house."

"…Why?"

"I wanna stay with Kyousuke."

"Oh…well, that'll be a bit hard, won't it? Your parents and your sister are already here, bags and all."

"Yeah. And I'm already at Kyousuke's, bags and all."

"Fine…"

…

In the end, Kuroneko got permission to stay at Kyousuke's, something that Kyousuke found out when he came home from school one day and saw Kuroneko at the entrance. She skipped up to him and hugged him affectionately.

"Uh, hello to you too, Ruri."

"Hey, Kyousuke. I'm staying with you guys while I get my house rebuilt."

"I thought your family's staying at Saori's."

"Yeah, but I'm staying here."

Kuroneko bent in to kiss Kyousuke, but just the right moment, Kirino shouted from upstairs, "Hey, Kuroneko! Get the rest of your crap up here!"

Kuroneko separated and bounced back into the living room to retrieve the rest of her bags. The one condition Kuroneko's parents and Kyousuke's parents gave for letting her stay here was that she would sleep in Kirino's room. Kirino made a show of being annoyed by the whole thing, but for someone who was being forced into this, she was awfully excited about going through and critiquing Kuroneko's clothes.

"What's all this stuff? Don't you have any normal clothes?" exclaimed Kirino.

"Most of them were burnt. These three outfits are the only ones I have left," replied Kuroneko.

"Well, you're in luck, because I'm such a considerate, sweet, and fashionable friend. Tomorrow's Saturday. We're going in the morning!"

"Going where?"

"Shopping, of course. Eroge's not the only thing I buy in Tokyo!"

Kuroneko rolled her eyes and was about to say something when Daisuke Kousaka, Kyousuke and Kirino's father, came home. The last to accept Kirino's otaku habit and the only one in the house unaware of her vast eroge collection, he was a strict father figure and a model police chief. Kuroneko had managed to get along with Kyousuke's mother, but Daisuke was notoriously hard-to-please. Of course, it was expected that Kuroneko go down and introduce herself to Daisuke. Kyousuke and Kirino remained silent as the front door shut downstairs and their parents began talking. Kyousuke broke the silence from outside in his room.

"Hey, Ruri, my dad's home."

Kuroneko nodded and got up. She walked out into the hall and down the stairs as Kirino and Kyousuke followed, their heads bowed as if in a funeral march.

"Oh, piss off, you two."

Meanwhile, Yoshino Kousaka greeted her husband as he came home from work. "Yes, Kirino's friend Ruri is staying with us after that dreadful fire."

"Ruri? Isn't that the name of Kyousuke's girlfriend, too?" said Daisuke suspiciously as Kuroneko arrived in the kitchen. She bowed slightly to the rather imposing Daisuke.

"You're Ruri Goko?" said Daisuke, turning to Kuroneko.

"Yes, sir."

"Kirino's friend?"

"Yes, sir."

"Kirino's otaku friend?"

"Yes, sir."

"Aren't you Kyousuke's girlfriend, too?"

"Yes, sir."

"What exactly do you see in him?" Daisuke asked this not out of spite, but genuine curiosity, as he exchanged a bemused glance with Kyousuke.

"Well, sir, people reveal different facets to different people. I was simply seduced by his best."

"Is his best _that_ good?" replied Daisuke with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, waiting for an answer.

"Of course!" Kuroneko hugged Kyousuke affectionately. "When he's at his best, he simply can't stop drawing in the girls."

Kyousuke broke into a cold sweat, and Daisuke peered at the three teenagers for the longest time. "Very good, then. Welcome to the Kousaka household, Ruri Goko. Our house is yours."

Kuroneko bowed, hiding a victorious grin. She turned and left, with Kyousuke scampering after her, as Kirino turned and left last, with a calculated, graceful slowness.

"That wasn't so hard," said Kuroneko with that same smile.

"You got lucky," snapped Kirino and Kyousuke in unison.

Daisuke leaned against the counter, his eyes still pinched in the "evil eye", even as he was holding in his laughter.

"That dumbass has taste," he cried. "First Kirino's best friend, and then Kirino's other best friend!"

"Just be glad he's not going after Kirino," replied Yoshino.

…

Kuroneko kept up her charming façade through dinner, answering all the parents' questions readily.

"So, Kyousuke and Kirino never told us much about you," said Yoshino.

"Well, I'm a normal middle-school third year, other than my manga interests," replied Kuroneko.

"I know about Kirino's interests," said Yoshino. "I've even seen _Meruru_."

"How was it?" said Kuroneko innocently.

"It was…nice," replied Yoshino with a very forced smile. Kirino glared at Kuroneko, who shot back a brief smirk.

"So, what kind of manga do you like, then?" continued Yoshino.

"Mostly _seinen_ manga, actually," said Kuroneko. _Seinen_ manga were manga targeted at older teenage boys, a very different genre from the loli-style _shoujo_ Kirino preferred.

"Oh!" exclaimed Yoshino. "So, no _Meruru_?"

Kuroneko took a gulp of milk. "No, it's not really my thing."

"Daisuke! Aren't you going to ask anything?"

Daisuke shrugged. "Do you have any convictions or outstanding charges against you?"

"No, sir."

"OK. No further questions."

Yoshino hit Daisuke on the arm.

"What?" exclaimed Daisuke. "I'm a police officer. That's the stuff I need to know."

After dinner, Kuroneko transformed from the orderly, quiet Ruri to the sardonic, slightly perverted Kuroneko that Kirino and Kyousuke knew and loved. Even though all her stuff was in Kirino's room, Kuroneko headed straight for Kyousuke's room and lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling as Kyousuke lay on his stomach on the bed with a book out.

"Hey, Kyousuke," whined Kuroneko. "I'm bored."

"And I'm doing homework," replied Kyousuke.

Kuroneko climbed on top of Kyousuke's back, wrapping her arms around him. "I wanna play, Kyou-chan!"

She began to distract Kyousuke from his work, tousling his hair and clinging onto him as he tried to shake her off.

Kirino passed by and saw the scene inside. Flabbergasted, she stomped in and pulled Kuroneko out.

"Seriously, do I have to chain you to my room or something?" said Kirino.

"Kinky," said Kuroneko. Kirino stumbled, regained her step, and stomped back into her room with Kuroneko in tow.

Kuroneko and Kirino lay in the room, staying awkwardly silent. Kirino mentally ran through all the things they could have talked about. Not school; Kuroneko was in a different school, and she was a third-year, whereas Kirino was only a first-year. Not anime; they'd done that plenty already. Kirino gulped when she realized she really knew precious little about Kuroneko.

"You're thinking about how little you really know about me, aren't you?"

"N-No!"

"How about my family, for starters?"

"Um, OK. How's your family doing?"

"Fine. They're staying with Saori. I convinced them to let me stay here."

"Really? How?"

"I told them I wanted to stay with you. Of course, I'm just here for Kyousuke."

"Really?" Kirino's voice wavered as she felt a little genuinely hurt.

"Of course not. I couldn't stand to be away from my Kirino," said Kuroneko with a teasing smile.

Kirino blushed, even though she knew Kuroneko was joking. Just then, Kyousuke passed by with a towel in hand. Kuroneko immediately leapt up and ran after him as Kirino got up and followed.

"_What_ are you doing, Kuroneko?" she said.

"I'm following onii-chan into the shower, of course," replied Kuroneko with a pout.

"No, you're not!" Kirino dragged Kuroneko back to her room. "Seriously! You're like a little child. I need, like, some sort of punishment system, for crying out loud!"

"How 'bout spanking?" replied Kuroneko.

Kirino stumbled more severely this time, but kept her grip on Kuroneko as she tried to paw her way back to the _furo_.

Kuroneko sat at the bed, pouting. "You're mean. You won't let me get next to onii-chan."

Kirino rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

"Done," said Kyousuke as he passed by Kirino's room with a towel around his waist. Kirino got up and dragged Kuroneko into the bath.

"Take off your clothes," said Kirino gruffly as Kuroneko stood there without moving.

"I don't want to take a bath with you. You're mean," replied Kuroneko.

"Take…off…your…clothes!" Kirino lunged toward Kuroneko half naked and grabbed Kuroneko right at the chest. With some force, she unbuttoned Kuroneko's blouse and pulled her skirt halfway down, exposing her pink panties.

Kuroneko moaned seductively, gasping as Kirino set her hands on her breasts. Kirino pulled away in panic, flustered, before she realized Kuroneko was faking it.

"You're gullible," purred Kuroneko.

After the shower, the two of them soaked in the _furo_. Kuroneko glared enviously at Kirino's chest. Though Kirino was almost two years younger than Kuroneko, her breasts were already slightly larger.

"Don't worry," stuttered Kirino awkwardly. "They…might grow."

"You know, in anime, I'd grabbing your breasts jealously by now," said Kuroneko.

Kirino blushed and covered her breasts, sinking bashfully into the water until it was just under her nose.

…

"What, no pajamas?" said Kirino in her room.

Kuroneko posed sultrily in front of the mirror in her bra and panties. "They burned in the fire, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, the futon's laid out."

"Thank you. Good night."

"Night." Kirino shut off the lights and snuggled in her sheets.

"Kirino?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got an itch."

"So?"

"Can I scratch it?"

"Sure, whatever."

"It's not that kind of itch, Kirino."

"Then, what kind is it?"

"It's the kind I wish Kyousuke were here to scratch for me."

Kirino's eyes popped wide open as she figured out what Kuroneko was saying.

"Eww-w-w-w-w! No, _hentai neko_!

"Fine. Good night, Kirino."

…

The next morning, Kuroneko was dragged out of her peaceful slumber by an overzealous Kirino. She was shoved through breakfast and out the door, and she and Kirino were soon on the metro into downtown Tokyo.

"I'm taking you to all the shops, and I'm going to get you some new outfits," said Kirino. "I'm paying, but the catch is you have to let me buy whatever I want for you."

"I refuse," said Kuroneko. "No deal. Can I go home now?"

Kirino ignored Kuroneko, and they were soon in a chic shopping district. Kuroneko crinkled her nose at the window stands. "This is all hipster trash. Honestly, can I go now?"

"Absolutely not. These are the latest European fashions. And no loli gear, either. I'm sick of you dressing like pervy jailbait."

Kirino dragged Kuroneko into one of the more posh boutiques. She positioned Kuroneko in front of the mirrors, stepping back to get a good look at Kuroneko's curves as Kuroneko slouched indifferently.

"OK, so I've got it. You're flat everywhere. Small breasts, flat butt."

"Gee, thanks," scowled Kuroneko.

"So, we want to avoid low-cut jeans. Instead, we want slightly higher-waisted jeans for your ass. As for your chest, we need tops that are more brightly colored. Ruffles, especially."

Kuroneko stumbled listlessly through the clothes, following Kirino without question as she piled up a growing assembly of outfits.

"Here," she said, handing them to Kuroneko. "Try 'em on."

Kuroneko groaned and snatched the clothes out of Kirino's hands. Every few minutes, she came out, parading various tight jeans, frilly blouses, and brightly colored peasant tops. Kirino picked out the ones she liked without consulting Kuroneko's opinion. That done, she emerged from the store, victorious and with several bags under her arms.

"Since you have smaller breasts, you can actually afford to wear lower-cut tops without looking as slutty," said Kirino.

"Are we really going to do this?" said Kuroneko.

"Yeah. You need a little more whorishness in your life, Kuroneko."

Kirino graciously carried all the items for Kuroneko, something she was very used to doing. Inside those bags were more jeans, skirts, loose-fitting tank tops, and spaghetti straps cut (to Kuroneko) scandalously low.

"I haven't genuinely gone shopping in a long time," said Kirino. "Cause I can get most of my clothes for free from the fashion companies."

"I'm glad you're doing what you love right now, then, cause I'm not," said Kuroneko. "Where are we going next?"

"Lunch. I'm hungry."

"Good. You're paying."

Kuroneko had apparently never been in a fancy restaurant before. She was utterly taken aback by the excessive amount of dinnerware. "Why do we need this many forks?"

"It's a very important part of Western fine dining," said Kirino.

"I never got why Japanese people want to imitate white people," said Kuroneko. "As if sushi and hibachi weren't good enough."

"You just don't understand," said Kirino. "French food is very posh."

"Do you even know anything about French history?" said Kuroneko. "It's not 'posh' at all."

"No, and I'm not interested in French history. Just their food. They have good food."

"And crappy tanks. Seriously. What do Japanese people see in France?"

Kuroneko looked down at the odd concoction that was her food. Crinkling her nose, she placed a morsel in her mouth.

"How is it?" said Kirino with a gloating grin. Kuroneko's scowl proved she liked it; she was only mad that Kirino had something to hold over her now.

"There's not enough," said Kuroneko desperately, trying to scrape a victory out of the whole thing.

…

Kirino footed the bill, pulling out yet another bundle of bills from her bottomless wallet. Kuroneko got up, hoping that maybe she could go home now. Kirino pulled her arm, though, taking her out of the restaurant and through yet another street full of swanky boutiques.

"C'mon, let's get some shoes," said Kirino over Kuroneko's complaints, dragging Kuroneko into a shoe store. She took off Kuroneko's shoes to confirm her shoe size and then pulled out several boxes.

"OK, now pull these off," said Kirino as she tore off Kuroneko's socks. Kuroneko waved her feet listlessly.

It was a very subtle gesture. Kuroneko herself didn't notice it at first, but it seemed as Kirino went on that she was unusually gentle with Kuroneko's feet, taking an unusually long time putting each shoe on and taking each shoe off.

"You're a foot pervert," declared Kuroneko.

"Eww! Don't be stupid, you dirty-minded freak!" cried Kirino. She gathered up all the shoes she liked and bought them for Kuroneko. Kuroneko slouched behind Kirino, following behind as Kirino (willingly) carried all the bags.

…

"Where are we going next?" said Kuroneko.

"It's a surprise." Kirino bounced with a special enthusiasm that Kuroneko thought would be wise to humor.

"Are we spending an hour there, like in the shoe store?"

Kuroneko wasn't expecting much; just another shop that she could not have cared less about. But she was wrong, and her eyes opened wide as they arrived at their destination.

A fashionable, chic spa and salon, one of the most exclusive in the area, greeted them. Even Kuroneko had heard about this place.

"I got us reservations," explained Kirino.

"How'd you get reservations here?"

"When you're a model, you meet people. Like the son of the owner. He's totally crazy about me."

Kirino brought Kuroneko in with her. "I've got reservations for 2 o'clock. It's under Kousaka."

Kuroneko stood to the side and inspected the natural, earth-toned furniture and the polished marble tiles and miniature fountains. It was an awfully enticing establishment, she had to admit.

First, she and Kirino were led to a small dressing room. To Kuroneko's slight embarrassment, she was told, along with Kirino, to disrobe and change into the custom bathrobes provided by the spa. Kuroneko turned around shyly and slipped her clothes off.

Kirino crept up next to Kuroneko and laid her hands on Kuroneko's arms. "Aww, are we embarrassed about showing our body _now_? How cute!"

Kuroneko's cheeks flushed a soft pink. "I-I…"

"Don't worry! We're best friends, right?"

Kirino had a point. Kuroneko couldn't figure out why she was so embarrassed.

Kuroneko and Kirino were then led into a traditional-style Japanese bath lined with rocks out in the open air. Kuroneko marveled at the fact that such an oasis of traditional Japanese culture could exist in this little pocket of open city air. The air around was not at all the sour smell of the city, though. Numerous local trees and flowers bloomed around the springs. Though they were native to the area, they were so rare in Tokyo that Kuroneko flinched in surprise upon seeing them.

"This is actually a huge building. There are several of these scattered around the whole place, each one in the open with plants and private changing rooms and everything," said Kirino.

Kuroneko stared up. "That sounds expensive."

"Yeah. But they're really creative with their space. Half the building's underground."

Kirino and Kuroneko soaked in the bath to their hearts' content. Finally, Kuroneko got up, exposing her gleaming, wet skin. Kirino followed blindly, grabbing her towel and drying herself off.

The massage came next. Kuroneko moaned and mewed with her face in the head support as the masseur loosened up her muscles. Kirino lay still with her face in the support, disturbed by Kuroneko's pleasured cries. Her face began feeling flushed as Kuroneko's breathy gasps thrust at her like blows from a sword.

Through the mani-pedi and the facial, Kuroneko kept a blank expression. She scoffed at the expensive-looking creams and the exotic, vaguely European-sounding plants that were supposed to be in them.

"I bet in America or Europe, the spas use weird creams with vaguely Japanese-sounding plants."

However, even as Kuroneko kept her stiff upper lip, Kirino knew that deep inside, Kuroneko felt a little embarrassed and rather thankful for the spa experience. As Kuroneko made dismissive comments about the massage techniques, Kirino just smiled.

"You should really stop smiling like that. It doesn't fit you," said Kuroneko.

"Why not?"

"It's mysterious. Facetious. Witty. Sly. All the things you're not."

"You're one to talk!" And with that, Kirino and Kuroneko descended into another argument.

They emerged several hours later, renewed and refreshed after a strenuous routine of relaxation and rejuvenation.

"It's dark out," remarked Kuroneko.

"Let's get dinner," replied Kirino.

"Your wallet really is a bottomless miracle of physics."

Kuroneko and Kirino sat at the outside garden of the Italian restaurant Kirino picked. There was nothing for Kuroneko to nitpick at now; the restaurant had none of the pretentious nature of the French restaurant of lunch.

Kirino and Kuroneko sat at their table, maintaining an awkward silence. Kuroneko munched on her risotto, while Kirino stabbed at her gnocchi.

Kuroneko broke the silence with what was first a peevish scowl, and then a reluctant sigh. "Um, thank you."

"Eh?"

"Thank you for taking me out shopping and stuff. That was nice."

"Oh. Well, um, no problem."

"You know," said Kuroneko quietly. "I always thought about getting some new clothes. In addition to my loli clothes, I mean. I just never got to doing it…"

"You're welcome." Kirino could tell Kuroneko was embarrassed. She smirked, holding it over Kuroneko's head.

"What's that look for?" exclaimed Kuroneko.

"Shh, shh," whispered Kirino. "You're emotionally vulnerable right now. Don't stress yourself."  
…

Kuroneko and Kirino emerged from the restaurant an hour later with full bellies and empty wallets. They both decided (reluctantly) that it was time to go home, but only after one last stop. As Kirino led Kuroneko through the boutiques back to the train station, she suddenly found herself drawn inside one particular boutique without a particular reason or motive.

"Kirino, can we go now?" said Kuroneko with an annoyed voice.

"Hold on a sec," shushed Kirino, staring around the store. She had no idea why she was so drawn here, but her question was soon answered. At one of the racks was a dark-blue, almost black haired girl. As the girl turned around, her eyes sparked a dark blue. She suddenly spotted Kirino and waved, rushing over to her to give her a hug.

Ayase Aragaki was in the store, two feet away from the girl whose house she burned down.

"Ayase! I didn't expect you here!" squealed Kirino.

"You're out shopping today? I thought you said you never did any shopping anymore!"

"I usually don't. I mean, the modeling company gives us plenty of free clothes, right?"

"Yeah. _I_ still shop for my clothes, cause some of the stuff they give us is too…provocative. I didn't think you still shopped, though."

"No, I'm just buying clothes for my friend Kuroneko. I don't know if you two have met yet."

Kuroneko, who had been edging away slowly the whole time, was frozen into place. Ayase turned and stared at Kuroneko with a false smile and haunting eyes.

"Oh! Nice to meet you!" Ayase extended her hand, giving no sign of ever having seen Kuroneko before. "Kyousuke's told me all about you. But I thought your name was Ruri Goko?"

"Kuroneko's my otaku name."

Kirino was the most relaxed one in the group. Unaware that Ayase already knew everything about Kuroneko, she added, "I'm buying clothes with Kuroneko. I mean, she needed it before. The girl has no fashion sense! But she needs it even more now. All her clothes, except, like, the ones she's wearing now got burned."

"Burned?" exclaimed Ayase in false shock.

"Yeah. Her house burned down just last Wednesday. Freak accident, and in broad daylight, too!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Ayase. Her convincing look of concern drove icicles into Kuroneko's heart.

"Yeah…" mumbled Kuroneko.

"Well, I hope everything turns out fine," said Ayase. "I hope no one was hurt?"

"My parents were away," said Kuroneko. "My sister and I got out fine. Funny thing, actually. The firefighters say the fire started on a pile of manga on the floor in my room. But I always keep my manga on my bookshelf."

Ayase didn't flinch one bit. "Wow. Well, the only thing that matters is that no one got hurt, right? It started in your room when your parents were away and you and your sister were hopefully downstairs! I mean, if it had happened in the middle of the night, _that_ would have been terrible!"

Only Kirino missed the implied threat. "Yep. Kuroneko's staying with me in my room until her house gets rebuilt."

"Oh, well, best of luck to you and your family," said Ayase to Kuroneko with a bow. "And I hope your house gets rebuilt quickly!"

Kuroneko was nauseous for the entire train ride home. She almost collapsed and had to be carried by Kirino on the way home. The whole time, she fielded Kirino's concerned questions, saying only that she wasn't feeling well.

...

"There's no way she'll strike now," whispered Kuroneko to herself. "She loves Kirino too much. And she won't try anything on Saori's house. There's too many guards there."

Nonetheless, Kuroneko couldn't sleep that night. She imagined Ayase right outside in the yard with propane in one hand and a match in the other. Even the logical conclusion that she was safe in the Kousaka house couldn't soothe her.

"Mmph…Kuroneko?" Kirino was stirred from her sleep.

"K-Kirino?" said Kuroneko softly. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

"What's the matter? Scared of the heffalumps?" scoffed Kirino, but she moved over anyway to make room for Kuroneko as Kuroneko snuggled in. Feeling a little more secure, she clutched Kirino's waist for extra comfort. Kirino stirred in surprise but made no effort to resist.

The two girls fell asleep, without a sound, until morning.


	14. Kirino

Kyousuke swung open the gate into the Kousaka residence. He stared at his watch. It had been exactly two weeks since Ayase had been kicked out of his life.

Kyousuke opened the door into his house. He was just getting used to not having Ayase at the door anymore, which was why he was now caught unawares by Kuroneko.

"You're home, onii-chan!" she mewed.

Kyousuke fell to the floor. He hardly had time to collect his thoughts as Kuroneko thrust herself on top of him and kissed him.

As Kuroneko was still living with them, her constant presence was assured. Whether this was a good thing or not was not so certain. On the one hand, it was nice to have his girlfriend around so frequently. On the other hand, Kuroneko was not subtle in her affection.

These were what Kyousuke was pondering in his head as he now lay in his bed at night, trying to fall asleep. As much as he tried to clear his head, he couldn't stop thinking about Kuroneko. There wasn't one specific reason he liked her so much or thought she was so beautiful. There was her long, smooth black hair, her deep blue eyes (red with the contacts), the flowery smell that hung around her. Even the thought brought memories of her scent to Kyousuke's nose.

...Those weren't memories.

Kyousuke wasn't alone in the bed. Kuroneko had snuck in under his sheets.

"RURI!" he screamed. Kuroneko quickly stuffed her hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" she whispered. "I don't want everyone to hear."

"What're you doing here?" hissed Kyousuke.

"I wanted to sleep next to you," said Kuroneko. She cuddled nonchalantly next to Kyousuke.

"Do you realize what my parents will think?" Kyousuke was absolutely panicking now. Just as he was about to fall asleep, too.

"Move over; you're hogging the sheets," said Kuroneko, ignoring Kyousuke's protests.

Kyousuke sighed. Screw his parents, then.

…

Kirino's eyes fluttered open as she took in the first rays of sunlight. She was sprawled out over her bed, comfortable, refreshed…and alone.

Kuroneko wasn't there anymore. Kirino got up, snuck downstairs, and checked the shoe cubby. Kuroneko's shoes were there. She hadn't gone out. But she wasn't downstairs either, nor was she at the toilet or in the bathroom. And she certainly wasn't in Kirino's parents' room.

Kirino nudged open the door into Kyousuke's room. The sleeping Kuroneko was almost sprawled on top of Kyousuke, with one hand curled sweetly and innocently around Kyousuke's chest and the other hand tucked next to his somewhere-less-sweet-and-innocent.

…

Kuroneko lay on the futon, carefully noting the speed of Kirino's breaths. Just like last night, she was planning on sneaking out over to Kyousuke's room. When Kirino's breaths were slow enough so that she was definitely sleeping, Kuroneko gently crawled out of her futon.

"Get your ass back over here."

Kirino had been faking it. She was wide awake, and her hand was gripping Kuroneko's leg.

Kuroneko groaned. "You're awake?"

"You're not sneaking into my brother's room."

"You were asleep when I got back."

"Yeah, well, I woke up and I saw you in my brother's room. Then I went back to bed."

"Damn it."

"If you want to sleep in a bed so bad, sleep next to me!"

Kuroneko detected a hint of jealousy in Kirino's voice. "No thanks, I'm good."

Kirino pull Kuroneko up anyway. "Get up here!"

Kirino squeezed herself against Kuroneko, cradling her possessively as she fell asleep on Kuroneko's shoulders. The stunned Kuroneko followed, drifting off in Kirino's arms.

…

Kirino came home from a modeling shoot one Sunday afternoon to see Kyousuke and Kuroneko making out on the couch. It seemed this happened any time the parents weren't home, but this time, Kirino walked in on the scene one too many times.

"Hey, you two! Cut it out!" said Kirino.

Kuroneko separated from Kyousuke as strings of spit formed between their tongues. Kirino turned away in disgust, waiting for Kuroneko to wipe her mouth. Kirino took a seat on the couch, in between Kuroneko and Kyousuke.

"Is Kirino-chan jealous?" cooed Kuroneko.

"No!"

"Aww, you don't have to lie," said Kuroneko. "You know you want a nice, cute boy to hold and cuddle and kiss."

"No!" said Kirino impulsively.

"Oh?" said Kuroneko as Kirino anguished over her blunder. "You'd rather have another girl?"

Kirino shied away as Kuroneko crawled towards her. Kuroneko placed her lips next to Kirino's ear.

"I think that's hot," whispered Kuroneko.

Kirino dashed from the room. Kyousuke winced as he heard the clamorous clopping on the floorboards above and then a loud slam. Kuroneko giggled.

"Now that she's gone…"

…

Kirino waited at the door with bated breath. It was Monday, just one day after the weird incident with Kuroneko. Kirino tentatively pushed open the door to make sure Kuroneko wasn't playing tonsil hockey with Kyousuke on the couch. Seeing that the coast was clear, Kirino went upstairs into her room.

Kuroneko was lying on the bed, her small feet in their socks waving in the air. In her hands was one of Kirino's published light novels, some story about post-apocalyptic magical girls.

Kirino watched Kuroneko silently, and then broke into a foppish grin. "Whatcha readin'?"

Kuroneko hurled the novel away frantically. "Nothing!"

"You were reading one of my light novels. Didn't you say something about them being 'trash', 'juvenile', and 'perverted with sexual undertones'?"

"I was only fishing for embarrassing passages to hold over your head!" puffed out Kuroneko.

Kirino ambled over next to the bed and retrieved the book. She examined the cover, and her grin grew even wider.

"Been doin' a lot of fishing?" Kirino waved the book tauntingly. It was the third book in the series.

Kuroneko curled up into a ball, impenetrable to Kirino's further probing and mocking.

…

Despite Kirino's warnings, Kuroneko absolutely refused to get off Kyousuke. As much as Kirino exploded at other times, one day Kuroneko completely crossed the line.

As the two began making out, Kirino took a seat on the couch next to them. Neither took the hint to stop or at least take it to another room. Kirino began moaning and started to unbutton her blouse.

"OK, OK, stop, stop, stop!" yelled Kirino. "Making out in the living room, fine. Making out in the living room even when I come in, fine. But having sex in the living room right in front of me is going too far!"

"Lighten up, Kirino," said Kuroneko.

"No! This is ridiculous! Ayase was never even close to this!"

Kirino clapped her hand over her mouth, regretting her accidental mention of the name. She watched Kuroneko closely, wondering what her reaction would be.

Kuroneko simply smiled. "You're just jealous, Kirino."

"W-What?"

"Tell me, Kirino. Who are you jealous of? Are you jealous of me, cause you're mad that you can't get a piece of your brother? He was certainly hot enough for your friend Aragaki, wasn't he?"

Kirino grimaced. "That's disgusting!"

"Then are you jealous of someone else in this room?"

Kirino was speechless as Kuroneko turned on Kirino, crawling onto her body. With a teasing grin, she added, "Maybe you're jealous of your brother? Maybe you want to try out another girl? How bout it, Kirino? Wanna bump beavers?"

Kirino's grimace turned to a fit of rage. She shoved Kuroneko clear across the couch and ran up in her room.

Kuroneko did not expect this reaction. She looked at Kyousuke.

"I think you really made her mad this time," said Kyousuke.

Kuroneko nodded. After a few minutes, after which she hoped Kirino had cooled down, she climbed the stairs into her and Kirino's shared room. Kirino was slumped on the side of the bed, staring sullenly at the ground.

"Kirino?" said Kuroneko. She tentatively took a seat next to Kirino. Kirino remained still. Given her violent temper and her tendency to use her fists, this was a positive sign.

"I'm sorry," continued Kuroneko. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just joking around."

Kirino looked up at Kuroneko. She hugged her, taking Kuroneko by surprise.

"I wasn't mad at you," said Kirino huffily. She puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms.

Kuroneko settled down on the bed. The room became stiff with tension. Kuroneko waited patiently, just knowing Kirino had something to say.

Kirino's face had turned a plump tomato-red. Kuroneko sat there for a few minutes, watching Kirino's face burn hotter and hotter, waiting bemused for Kirino to let it out. When she was disappointed with dead silence, Kuroneko got up to leave.

"Kuroneko…I think I love you!"

Kuroneko did an about-face and walked straight back to the bed to confirm what she had just heard.

Kirino crawled over and lightly kissed Kuroneko on the cheek. When Kuroneko still didn't move, Kirino climbed next to her and kissed her on the mouth.

Kuroneko pulled away from Kirino and shoved her away. "Kirino…"

Kirino lunged back forcefully and held Kuroneko in her hands.

Kuroneko tried to pull away again. "Kirino…"

Kirino placed her hand on the small of Kuroneko's back, falling onto the bed and bringing Kuroneko down with her as she pressed herself against Kuroneko's body.

Kuroneko pushed herself off Kirino and sat back up. "Kirino!"

Kirino sat up, sprawled on the bed, looking quite pitiful with her wide, droopy eyes. "Huh?"

"I-I'm sorry. Um, I don't really know what to say to that," said Kuroneko.

"Good," said Kirino. She leaned in to kiss Kuroneko again.

"No!" cried Kuroneko. She pushed Kirino away again. "I mean, I don't…feel that way."

Kirino tilted her head, unable to fully register Kuroneko's words.

"I'm…uh…flattered? No, that's not it. Shocked? No...I guess I'm just kind of overwhelmed. I mean, I really don't feel that way back."

"B-But…you're always getting close to me a-and…" Kirino trembled, as if she had been betrayed.

"I'm with Kyousuke." With that short statement that was woefully inadequate for its purpose, Kuroneko got up with a heavy guilt.

Kirino hurled herself face-first into her pillow, coldly adding, "You should go now."

Kirino listened to the footsteps and waited until they faded away. She lifted her head, uncovering the two damp spots that had formed.

…

Kirino didn't speak to anyone at dinner that night. She answered her parents' questions with single word answers, something Kyousuke was more likely to do. Kuroneko barely spoke either, and Kyousuke and his parents decided to keep out of it.

…

Kuroneko crawled into bed with Kirino out of habit, forgetting about Kirino's feelings for her. Almost instinctively, Kirino rolled next to her, nuzzling against her hair and caressing her. Kuroneko pulled away violently.

"Kirino, stop!"

Kirino stopped and moved away. Kuroneko pulled away and went onto the floor to sleep.

…

This was the dilemma, Kuroneko realized. With Ayase loose, she was not safe without Kirino. Yet, there was no way she could be around Kirino for much longer.


	15. The Disappearance of Ruri Goko

Kuroneko and Kyousuke sat together in the living room. They were there because they did not want to be upstairs. They did not want to be upstairs because Ayase was upstairs with Kirino. It had been tacitly decided long ago that the longer both of them stayed away from Ayase, the better.

"How long before she's gone?" said Kuroneko.

"She's usually here for awhile," answered Kyousuke.

Both sighed loudly as Kirino and Ayase bounded downstairs. Almost like mice, Kyousuke and Kuroneko ran into the kitchen. As Kirino and Ayase stayed in the living room, Kyousuke and Kuroneko ran upstairs. They had been doing this the whole time, switching to another spot in the house each time Kirino and Ayase moved around.

"This is ridiculous!" hissed Kuroneko.

"Yeah, well she's an insane bitch that burned down your house!"

"It's still ridiculous though...just saying," said Kuroneko.

"You suggested it in the first place! Didn't you say you wanted to stay away from Kirino? Why do you want to stay away from Kirino anyway?"

Kuroneko beckoned Kyousuke closer and whispered something in his ear. Kyousuke blushed and pulled away from Kuroneko.

"Oh."

They were distracted by the sound of Kirino and Ayase getting up from their seats in the living room. Kuroneko and Kyousuke hurried upstairs and watched the two girls from the upstairs hall.

"Great! Wanna meet up later after the model shoot tomorrow?" said Kirino.

"Of course! I'll see you there," replied Ayase. She gave no sign that she noticed Kyousuke or Kuroneko. The two girls went outside, and Kirino returned alone. She, too, ignored Kyousuke and Kuroneko as she passed them on her way to her room.

…

The next day, Kyousuke and Kirino found themselves alone in the house. Kyousuke's parents had gone shopping, and normally, Kyousuke would have used this perfect opportunity to get closer to Kuroneko. Unfortunately, neither of them were in the mood, and Kuroneko fingered the remote control with a bored look on her face.

"I'm so bored, I'd even watch those damn _Meruru_ DVD's," said Kuroneko. Kyousuke got up and took out the boxset.

"Wanna back that up?" said Kyousuke with the same desperately bored look on his face.

Kuroneko turned on the TV, and Kyousuke put in the DVD. He sat back down next to Kuroneko at the couch as neither noticing the spark that had gone off at the electric circuit.

After several minutes, as the _Meruru_ episode plot began to unfold, the back of the TV began slowly to ignite. The fire ran from the wall socket down the wire and towards the back of the TV. Kyousuke noticed the fire first.

"Kuroneko…the back of the TV's on fire…"

Kuroneko watched the fire as it traveled to the back of the set. Her eyes opened wide. "Kyousuke…"

"Yeah?"

"Duck."

"What?"

Kyousuke felt himself pulled down to the ground as the two of them took refuge behind the coffee table. In a split second, the TV glowed white and exploded. Shrapnel flew everywhere, sticking into the wall, and a toxic cloud of smoke filled the room.

The fire burned an unnatural white, and Kuroneko dragged Kyousuke along as they crawled out of the room. The finely powdered glass cut into their knees, and the unnatural light of the fire burned bright against their exposed sides. Kuroneko stumbled up and reached for the phone as the two of them both flung open the door and headed outside.

Kuroneko and Kyousuke stood outside the house as the firefighters came. The living room walls were charred, and the carpet was ruined with hidden chunks of plastic and glass, but the rest of the house was fine. Kyousuke's parents came home immediately, and Kirino and Ayase followed as fast as they could.

"What happened?" said Kirino.

"There was an electrical fire," said Daisuke. "The living room's been burned. Everywhere else is fine, though."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that!" exclaimed Ayase with only the slightest hint of annoyance at the sight of an intact Kyousuke and Kuroneko.

Everyone stood outside the house until it was confirmed that the plastic smoke was cleared. Daisuke stood outside the house, discussing his options with the fire chief. Kuroneko quickly pulled Kyousuke into the house. In a panic, she dragged Kyousuke up into his room. She slammed the door shut and shoved Kyousuke onto the bed, a finger over her lips.

"I can't believe her! Having the audacity to come straight to the scene of the crime!" whispered Kuroneko.

"Well, she's a good actress, that's for sure," muttered Kyousuke.

Kuroneko tried to keep up her cool façade, but quickly collapsed into Kyousuke's arms. She didn't want to admit it, but she was so afraid. Tears flowed down from her eyes as she crumpled from all the fear inside her. Kyousuke comforted Kuroneko, just as afraid but not able to show it.

…

In her head, Kuroneko was beginning to decipher the intricate preparations Ayase had made in her latest attempt on her life. Obviously, Ayase had managed to tamper with the wiring in the living room while she was with Kirino the day before. She got Kirino to go along with her to make sure Kirino would be away when someone turned on the TV. There was an air of impossibility around all this, too many things that made this all seem farfetched, and normally Kuroneko would never have believed her own theory. But this was Ayase, and she was remarkably crafty.

Kuroneko slipped out of Kyousuke's grasp. As she left the room, Kuroneko bumped into Kirino. Kirino looked down at the ground, digging at the floor with her foot. Since the botched confession, their friendship had been strained. It was unbearable to be in the same room as Kirino, and Kirino always seemed on the verge of tears around Kuroneko now. Though she tried not to, Kuroneko couldn't help but feel repulsed at this change. It was terrible of her to say it, since it was her fault Kirino was like this, but she missed the old Kirino.

It was unavoidable, though. As long as she was in the house, Kuroneko would have to face Kirino every day. As long as she was in the house, Kuroneko not only risked her own life, but also the lives of everyone around her. After all, Ayase had the burning desire to get rid of her and Kyousuke, and a disregard for the safety of anyone else in the house besides Kirino.

…

Kuroneko was finally saved from her quandary when her house was rebuilt. After almost a month, everything, mostly minor structural damage, had been repaired.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay," said Kuroneko as she bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Kousaka.

The move out was painful. Kyousuke missed Kuroneko's presence, but not as much as Kirino did. Though she did not show it during the day, Kirino could be heard quietly weeping at nights. Kyousuke considered offering his sympathies, but she probably hated him at the moment.

Besides, he had more important things to worry about. Kuroneko was not safe as long as she was away from Kirino. Ayase could strike at any time, and Kyousuke hoped frantically that Kuroneko was all right.

The next few days, Kyousuke heard nothing from Kuroneko. Three days after Kuroneko went back home, he tried to call. Kuroneko's parents answered the phone, telling him that she wasn't there.

"Do you know where she is?" said Kyousuke.

"Sorry," said the voice on the other side. "She randomly stays over with her otaku friends sometimes. We figured that might be the case. She's been gone for a few days."

With his heart racing, Kyousuke rambled out a quick thank-you, then shut himself in his room. He curled up on the bed, forcing himself not to think of any unpleasant scenarios.

Kyousuke tried to distract himself by doing something else. Like clean up all the clutter on his floor, for instance. The first thing to clean up was a volume of the _Maschera_ manga. It was on top of everything else, and Kyousuke bent over to retrieve it. Come to think of it, this was Kuroneko's. In fact, it was the first edition of the first volume in the series. The same one that had changed hands so many times between the two. Kyousuke picked it up and started reading. As he got toward the middle, a slip of paper, a bookmark, dropped out of the pages.

Kyousuke picked it up. It was an address in Tokyo. He did not recognize the street, but he could tell the general area by the postal code.

Kyousuke looked around to see if anyone was looking, quietly stowed the slip in his pocket, and continued reading.


	16. Lovers' Tryst

Kyousuke slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the door. Today was another school day, business as usual. As an average guy who didn't have much going on, not much interesting happened to him during school. When the bell rang, and everyone began to leave, however, Kyousuke spotted Manami in the halls, standing alone and looking a little bit disappointed.

Kyousuke went up to his old friend. "Hey, Manami. What's up? Where's your boyfriend?"

Manami shrugged and gave a sad smile. "He's sick. He wasn't here yesterday, either."

"Oh. You've been walking home alone, then?"

"Yeah. It's been awhile since I've done it."

"I usually walk home alone, so I'm used to it."

"Oh…" Manami gave another sad smile.

"But I usually managed to bear it because someone would always be waiting at home. My girlfriend, you know. She's my sister's friend, too, so she'd be at home. Plus, she was staying with us…"

"Because of the fire?" said Manami. News spread quickly around their town.

"Yeah. But, she hasn't been waiting lately, so it's been lonely."

"Trouble in your relationship?" said Manami.

Kyousuke turned his head up thoughtfully. "You could say that."

Kyousuke was surprised to see that the two of them were already walking out of the school without knowing it. As they walked alongside the street, Kyousuke noticed an oncoming car that was getting awfully close to the curb. Almost instinctively, he reached to pull Manami out of the way. The car passed by, and Manami peered at Kyousuke with a questioning look on her face.

"Sorry, nothing," mumbled Kyousuke. He still took his place beside Manami near the street.

As they passed by the local café, Manami pointed at the window. "I hear they're having a limited time only new drink! Wanna go inside and try it?"

Kyousuke looked at the window. "Uh, sure."

Both of them were looking at the window, and they did not notice a brick dropping from up high. It hit the ground behind them. Kyousuke turned and saw the shattered brick on the ground. He looked up and saw another brick on the way. He quickly grabbed Manami and pulled her out of the way.

He only barely got Manami out of the way. The brick, which was going for her head, hit her arm instead. Manami collapsed onto the ground, cradling her bruised arm. Kyousuke helped her up.

"Manami, we've got to get away from here," whispered Kyousuke. He helped steady her and move her away from the café. Upon further inspection, Kyousuke noticed several precariously placed bricks on the facade.

Had it been any other time, he would have dismissed any idea of a plot as ridiculous. But this was not a normal time, nor would any plot against his life right now be ordinary.

At any rate, Kyousuke was facing a dangerous enemy. Kyousuke rushed Manami home and almost ran back to his house, hoping nothing else was going to happen. Kyousuke locked himself up in his room, mulling over his options. He spent dinner in silence, and immediately after, Kyousuke decided to investigate the mysterious address, deciding to take action rather than wait for another mysterious attempt on his life.

Kyousuke set out early in the evening. He stared back down at the slip of paper again. Making sure he had the address right, Kyousuke walked into the train station and waited on the benches. As he sat and stared around at the other waiting passengers, he could not help but feel a little jittery. Whenever anyone passed by, there was a prick in his neck. Finally, the train arrived, and Kyousuke boarded. He passed the ride into Tokyo in silence. The starry night sky was obscured by clouds, and soon even this meager scenery was blocked out as the train burrowed into the ground.

Finally, Kyousuke heard his stop announced. He got off, along with a few other fellow passengers, and stepped out into Akihabara Station.

According to his map, the appropriate street was a small by-alley that was most quickly reached through the North entrance. Kyousuke followed the crowd of people out and quietly stole through the streets until he could locate the right alley. There, he turned, and the bustling of people out in the city grew quieter until he approached the address.

…

Kyousuke looked up. The building in front of him was a simple apartment building. Kyousuke climbed the steps and searched for the right room number. As he approached the mysterious door, he stopped in front and knocked and waited as the door creaked open.

…

Kyousuke stared at the figure at the doorway, who let the door swing open once Kyousuke's face was sufficiently exposed in the moonlight.

"Glad to see you're safe, Ruri," said Kyousuke.

"Come in," said Kuroneko. Kyousuke stepped inside. The place was obviously inexpensive, but it was well-maintained and brightly lit. Kuroneko shut the door and led Kyousuke into the kitchen, where dinner was already on the table. To Kyousuke's surprise, it was actually cooked with fresh ingredients. He sat on one of the cushions on the floor and picked up a chopstick.

"Of course it's fresh cooked," said Kuroneko, anticipating Kyousuke's surprise. "I've been making dinner at our house for the past five years."

"Aren't your parents going to miss you?" said Kyousuke.

"They think I'm sleeping over with one of my friends. It's OK. My dad was already about to take a personal day anyway, so my sister will manage. It'll be fine…"

Kyousuke could tell from Kuroneko's voice that she was only trying to convince herself of that. Deciding not to say anything more on that matter, though, Kyousuke turned his attention to the bandage around Kuroneko's hand.

"Oh, this?" said Kuroneko as she raised her hand. "I cut it…I was opening a textbook, and…there was a blade hidden inside."

Kuroneko had brought her schoolbag with her countless times to the Kousaka house before. Kyousuke nodded knowingly, needing no explanation.

"How'd you get this apartment?" said Kyousuke.

"Oh, Saori knows the owner," said Kuroneko.

Kyousuke nodded again and began eating the rice and fish in silence. Kuroneko cleaned up the bowls once they were both finished, and Kyousuke stretched his arms, observing the small apartment. He got up and took a look. There was the toilet, and there was the bath. A smaller room to the side had a futon, as well as some of the choicer components of Kuroneko's _Maschera_ collection.

"Seems like a nice arrangement," said Kyousuke. "But how can you keep on living like this? You're going to have to do something about money and school."

Kuroneko nodded. "This is only temporary. I want to make sure she can't go after me first, and then I can try to find a way to settle this."

Kyousuke remembered the bricks. Kuroneko had every right to look for a way to hide from Ayase, and he was tempted to follow Kuroneko's route himself.

"Well, it was good to see you again. I'm glad you're safe," said Kyousuke. He turned to leave. Kuroneko grabbed him by his coat before he could take a step further and dragged him to the ground.

Kyousuke landed on his back. Kuroneko was already on the ground, lying on her side, facing Kyousuke. "Don't leave yet, onii-chan."

"What are you doing, Ruri?

"Stay around for awhile," continued Kuroneko. "It's lonely going through Akiba without someone to go with you."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. Why else did I leave that address on the bookmark?"

Kyousuke paused. As he regained his composure, he continued with his superficial objections. "That's ridiculous. I have school to worry about!"

"Give me a break. You've never cared about school."

Kuroneko was right. Kyousuke's grades were too middling for him to care about them anymore. To tell the truth, he was tempted to give in. His parents had no idea where he was, and Ayase wouldn't either. He could live out here, at least temporarily, with absolute freedom.

Kyousuke didn't budge. Kuroneko smiled as her victory was confirmed. She kissed him gently on the lips, embracing him.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't have anything on me. No toothbrush, for example."

"There's a convenience store two blocks away."

"No money."

"I've got some saved up. You can pay me back later, no interest."

"I don't have any fresh clothes!"

"This is Akiba. There's stores everywhere. We'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

"I don't have any pajamas!"

"Sleep naked."

"You only have one futon."

Kuroneko smiled and dragged Kyousuke next to her. Her red eyes glowed, and she licked her lips with her tongue. "Sleep naked."

Screw grades. Screw everything. Everything he wanted, and everything he needed, was beckoning right here in this unlikely, cramped apartment. Kyousuke held Kuroneko close and kissed her right there on the floor.

Kyousuke stayed at the apartment that night.


	17. Flight Risk

Kyousuke awoke in a cramped, cloth-like space. He opened his eyes and found himself on the ground in an unfamiliar room. As he was about to panic, he remembered the events of the day before and remembered that he was in a futon in an apartment far from home.

Kyousuke turned and saw Kuroneko's serene, sleeping face. Remembering the raunchy suggestion Kuroneko had given him the night before, Kyousuke wriggled his hands down to his legs. His underwear was still on. Good.

A rather horrifying thought came to him as he wondered whether Kuroneko also had her underwear on. Kyousuke dismissed the thought at first, but was so fixed by it that he began to think of a way to find out without actually touching her.

Kyousuke awkwardly wriggled in the futon to see if he could press his body against Kuroneko's. When he couldn't get a satisfactory result from this contortionist exercise, he began to turn in the sheets, twisting into all sorts of weird shapes.

Kuroneko stirred and opened her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Huh? Eh, um, uh…nothing."

"_Baka_." Kuroneko crawled out of the futon and stood up. Kyousuke saw that she was wearing a bra and panties, although these covered rather little. Now satisfied with the answer to his question, Kyousuke flopped his head back down against the futon.

Kuroneko was at the stove, making breakfast. The smell of fish wafted towards Kyousuke's nose, and he grudgingly climbed out of the futon. Kuroneko had prepared rice, miso, and grilled fish. Kyousuke sat down on the floor and took a chopstick.

"What do you want to do today?" said Kuroneko.

"Go back home," said Kyousuke.

"Seriously."

"Well, what else is there to do?"

"Buy you some clothes, for one. And also, we're in Akihabara. Don't tell me you can't come up with something to do."

To tell the truth, Kyousuke was a bit excited from the prospect of being away from home and all his old worries. Akihabara was a large place, and it changed constantly. There, they could blend in and run away from their old lives. A clean slate, a fresh start.

Kyousuke freshened up in the bathroom, and he and Kuroneko opened the door into their apartment and headed outside.

Akihabara, like every other major city area, was bustling with the early morning commuters. Kyousuke yawned in the bright sunlight and stared down both sides of the street. There were shops everywhere, selling all sorts of merchandise, both otaku-related and not. The first order of business was to get some fresh clothes for Kyousuke. Immediately, Kuroneko suggested a rather dimly lit store that offered gothic-style clothing.

"No."

"You haven't even gone in yet!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Pl-l-e-e-e-a-a-a-s-s-s-e? Onii-chan?" Kuroneko's red eyes shimmered as she stared up at him with giant, puppy-dog eyes.

Kyousuke reluctantly went in, but emerged several minutes later without buying a thing.

"I'm buying normal clothes from a normal store," he said.

"You're no fun," pouted Kuroneko as Kyousuke headed in what looked like a store for normal people. He came out several minutes later with some jeans and a few T-shirts, enough to last his short stay. Kyousuke held his bags there in the street, staring blankly at the city in front of them.

"What should we do now?" said Kyousuke.

"We're in Akihabara! Don't tell me you can't come up with something to do," exclaimed Kuroneko.

"No…it's cause there's so much to do that I can't decide. So many stores, so much to do…it's beautiful and amazing…"

Kyousuke stared out at the sunny city buildings with a cloud in his eyes. Kuroneko grasped Kyousuke by the waist and saw what he meant. She hugged him, and they stood there for several minutes before both of them realized that, as romantic as this was, they were causing a block in the sidewalk.

"Heads, we turn left. Tails, we turn right."

Amazed by his freedom, Kyousuke used every speck of it. He and Kuroneko went through all the stores, ate at a maid café and took part in the games, and bought some anime DVD's in preparation for a movie night. Even shopping in the supermarket for fresh vegetables for that night's dinner became fun while he was with Kuroneko.

Kuroneko and Kyousuke emerged from the supermarket with baskets full of spinach, leafy greens, chicken cutlets, curry squares, milk, and other fresh groceries.

"After dinner, do you want to watch a classic or a newer movie?" said Kyousuke.

"I think I'd rather try an older one," said Kuroneko.

"Princess Mononoke it is, then."

Kyousuke relished this life, where the most pressing concern was deciding what was for dinner, and most of the day was spent out in the free, fresh air, instead of cooped up in a classroom. He could do what he wanted here, and he could forget about everyone else. He had absolutely nothing holding him back. It was only him and Kuroneko.

Kyousuke floated through all of this like a pleasant dream. It _was_ a pleasant dream. There were no worries. Life was good, and all the good things were free.

...

The next day, Kyousuke and Kuroneko spent a few hours in a mall, concentrating their time in a vintage manga store. As they got back, Kuroneko's cell phone rang, and she chatted excitedly with the person on the other side. She hung up and grabbed Kyousuke by the hands.

"Saori's coming to visit!"

"Really?" Kyousuke hugged Kuroneko. As great as it was not to be tethered by his old life and the people in it, it felt great to see a familiar face again.

Kyousuke and Kuroneko spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen, boiling soup and cutting up meat and vegetables to prepare a delectable lunch. Kuroneko turned off the rice cooker and scooped out a bowl for all three of them.

"Saori will love eating this rice. She got us the rice cooker."

Kyousuke heard a knock and got up and answered it. True to Kuroneko's word, Saori's towering, kindly figure appeared at the door with a friendly smile, glad to see the two of them well.

Kuroneko exchanged a hug with Saori, which was all that more comical because of their height differences. Kyousuke marveled at this. Kuroneko rarely showed anyone else such affection. Perhaps it was gratitude to Saori for getting them all these amenities.

"You two are doing well, then?" said Saori.

"Of course!" replied Kuroneko. "Come on, we've got lunch ready!"

Saori grinned sheepishly. She turned to Kyousuke, and whispered in a soft voice, "She's acting like a newlywed wife!"

Kyousuke nodded awkwardly. Just a few minutes ago, that had been him.

Kuroneko presented all the food with a carefree lilt in her step. She sat down and beamed at the two of them, almost unheard of for her. Saori and Kyousuke felt compelled to comment on this amazing change of personality, but they were both so hungry they just dug in.

"So, how's your anime and manga interests going along, Kousaka?" said Saori.

"Great," replied Kyousuke.

"Have you picked a favorite genre? Like mecha?" added Saori hopefully.

"No, not yet," replied Kyousuke.

With lunch finished, Kuroneko picked up all the bowls and set them in the sink to wash later. The three of them sat in the living room, which had rather little furniture, except for a TV that came with the apartment. The three of them sat on the floor, and they began to catch up on the time that had passed since last seeing each other, which in the case of Kyousuke and Saori, was several months.

"I forgot to thank you for getting us this apartment," said Kyousuke, bowing to Saori.

"Oh, cut all that bowing!" replied Saori. "I feel tall enough already. Besides, it's the least I can do for two good friends."

"Good thing you've got so many connections," added Kyousuke.

Saori smiled awkwardly. She seemed rather uncomfortable. "Yeah…by the way, what exactly is your plan?"

"Huh? Plan?"

"You know, Regarding the Aragaki girl?" Saori fidgeted a bit. "That _is_ the reason you two are here, right? Well, that's the reason Kuroneko's here. I know _you_ came here after Kuroneko did, Kyousuke."

"I just came here after I found the address lying in my book," said Kyousuke. "Plus, we think Ayase's getting more and more dangerous."

Saori nodded. "So, my point exactly. What are you going to do?"

Kyousuke paused. He had assumed he would find a permanent solution to Ayase while he was here in Akihabara. But, he had never given much thought to it, and once he thought about it, it seemed there was little else he _could_ do here but hide.

Kuroneko broke the silence. "By the way, have I mentioned the good news?"

Kyousuke and Saori both turned to Kuroneko. "What is it?"

"Well, I actually went to a publishing house as soon as I got here," said Kuroneko.

Saori's eyes opened wide. "And…?"

Kuroneko produced a letter she had been hiding. "I'm getting published!"

Saori nearly collapsed trying to pick Kuroneko up to hug her. Kyousuke stood there, stunned. When Saori released Kuroneko from her bear hug, Kyousuke picked Kuroneko up and embraced her, kissing her on the cheek.

Kuroneko laid the letter flat on the ground and read the text out loud. Both of her friends cheered and gave congratulatory pats on the back. Saori immediately got up and flipped open her cell phone.

"I've got to tell this to Kirino!" she said.

Kuroneko grabbed Saori. "Don't!"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't know I'm here, remember? As soon as you tell her, she'll ask why I didn't tell her myself." Kuroneko was wearing an intense look of anguish on her face, as if she were about to cry.

Saori dropped her head. "Yeah, that's right…"

She shut the cell phone. With the atmosphere sobered, the three of them sat quietly in the middle of the room.

"So, what did you two do yesterday? I know you've never actually stayed overnight in Akihabara before, Kyousuke. It's a different experience, isn't it?"

Kyousuke nodded. He began to list all the various stores he and Kuroneko visited. Saori nodded, but Kyousuke detected a slightly distant look in her eyes, which was remarkable since her eyes were obscured by her glasses.

"We even bought some classic movies," said Kyousuke. "_Princess Mononoke_, _Rebuild of Evangelion_, _The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya_…"

"Since when was 'Disappearance' a classic?" cut in Saori. "Is that even a year old yet?"

"Well, it's still good, and we still bought it," retorted Kyousuke.

"Well, it's been awhile since I've watched the _Evangelion_ movies," said Saori thoughtfully.

"I'll get them!" chirped Kuroneko. She was in an exceedingly good mood right now, and she leapt up to get the movies.

Saori suddenly bent in close to Kyousuke. "Kyousuke, you've got to do something."

"Huh?"

"About Aragaki."

"Oh…yeah! Yeah!" Kyousuke sounded a little too nonchalant, as Saori suddenly glared at him.

"That _is_ the reason you came here, right? To hide from her," said Saori. "It's not because you wanted to be in an apartment alone with Kuroneko, _is it_?"

"No!" exclaimed Kyousuke. "I was walking home with a friend, and then these bricks dropped out of nowhere. My friend got hurt! And the week before that, our TV shorted out and exploded the day after Ayase spent time alone in the living room!"

"Good, good, I wanted to make sure," said Saori. "Kyousuke, you know you'll have to find a permanent solution. Running away won't solve your problems."

Kyousuke sighed. "I know."

"Kuroneko's not going to do it. You saw the look on her face. She's just happy you're here with her. So you have to find a permanent solution to all this on your own, for you and for her."

Saori had a concerned look on her face, almost driven to tears by the desperate tone of her own words. The two of them suddenly shifted back to their seats, as if nothing had happened between them, once Kuroneko came back in with the DVD's, cheerfully humming the _Maschera_ opening theme.

"I love Evangelion," declared Saori as she stretched her arms. "The movies were awesome, although I can't say they were better than the original series. That would be heresy."

She turned her head over to Kyousuke and winked. Kyousuke nodded back queasily, uneasy about his mission.


	18. The Climax

_This is not the place people generally say this, and that is perhaps a good thing. This is my first fanfic. To be more accurate, this is the first fanfic I've ever completed, and it is definitely the first one I've ever published._

_When I came out and decided to try my hand at this, my original purpose was simple: Write a fic with a decent plot, with no grammar mistakes or spelling and punctuation errors, and one that would flow well. As such, I wrote down a draft, with the first several chapters finished and a general idea of the ending._

_With that done, I published the first chapter._

_Immediately, I got some compliments. But that wasn't enough for me, so I asked for more thorough breakdowns of my story. I believe I used the phrase "tear it apart like an English professor." My request was duly fulfilled, and I got all sorts of suggestions, especially suggestions to make the story longer. I should say right now that my chapter lengths were partially influenced by the fact that I read most fics and fan-translated light novels on my iPod, and the longer chapter lengths always used to bother me, especially since the Safari browser refreshes whenever you leave the page._

_This story has changed a lot from the original vision I had for it. I plan on writing some more to hone my skills and indulge in my unlikely love for anime. It's a long road up, but I like to write, and I'll carry a lot of the criticisms and suggestions to my next fic._

_Thank you all, everyone who read this fic, and everyone who gave me suggestions. You can see the results of your critiques simply through the chapter lengths: they've gotten longer and longer, and this chapter is the longest yet._

_I've had this chapter thought out ever since I thought up of the fic, but the actual text has been revised beyond recognition._

_I now present to you the climax and conclusion to_ Rage of a Yandere.

...

What Saori said about Kuroneko was absolutely right. There was no way Kuroneko could stop to think about the situation they were in, and after Saori left, Kuroneko remained in an exceedingly good mood. She read over her own manuscript several times, so overjoyed she was by the prospect of getting published. She presented dinner with a dramatic flourish, and she was still in a good mood when it came time to prepare for bed.

"Get in the bath with me!" called out Kuroneko from the bathroom.

"N-No!" cried Kyousuke. "And close the door!"

"N-n-n-n-h-h-h-h! Onii-chan's being mean to Ruri-chan!" cried Kuroneko.

Kyousuke shut the door anyway, exasperated by Kuroneko's happier, more hyper personality. It was incredibly tiring, and it did not help the situation at all.

Kyousuke limped to the futon in the middle of the empty bedroom and slumped down on the floor. In effect, he had been singlehandedly charged with the task of solving the "Ayase problem" once and for all. He didn't even know what the problem was, much less how to solve it.

Kyousuke clutched his head. Just thinking about the weight on his shoulders was making him spin. He couldn't concentrate on all these problems right now. He was too tired…

…

Kyousuke blinked. It was light out. There was sunlight pouring in. He had fallen asleep in his clothes. It was a warm, sunny day, very common in Tokyo in late spring. The day felt free of burdens and free of worries.

Well, not _completely_ free. Right now, Kyousuke was physically unable to move. He was still feeling groggy, so it took several seconds for him to figure out _why_ he couldn't move. He turned around and saw Kuroneko latched onto the right half of his body, pinning his arm and leg to the ground.

As Kyousuke prepared to shake Kuroneko away, the serene look on her face, a happy, peaceful smile, disarmed him, and he lay still again. His right side was getting sore, since he hadn't been able to move his right side all night. But who could really resist that sleepy, angelic smile?

Kuroneko stirred and rubbed her nose against Kyousuke's shoulder. A chilly, creepy feeling climbed up Kyousuke's spine, even though there was nothing wrong with this. As Kyousuke's girlfriend, Kuroneko had every right to use him as a teddy bear. But it still felt _too_ good, almost improper.

Kyousuke lay for another few minutes. He stared to his side out of habit, the way he did in his old bed, and then remembered that there was no clock in this room. Only a few more minutes, and Kuroneko would have to get up, right?

God, he had to pee.

Kyousuke sighed. Just when he was about to burst from the temptation to move, Kuroneko shifted on the ground. Kyousuke breathed a sigh of relief and sat up. He was about to get up when he was caught in a painful bind at the top of his pants. Kyousuke struggled frantically with his jeans, impeded by the numbness in his right arm, when Kuroneko suddenly awoke.

Kuroneko turned to see what the commotion was. She sat up and stared at the crotch of Kyousuke's pants.

"Wow," said Kuroneko flatly. She turned her back to Kyousuke and shivered, letting out several high-pitched squeaks. Kyousuke realized that she was trying to hold in her laughter.

"This isn't funny! It's stuck!" yelled Kyousuke.

"Want me to help get it out?" said Kuroneko.

"No!" Kyousuke wriggled for a few more minutes before coming free. "Besides, why did you hold onto me like that in your sleep? I couldn't move!"

"You were lying across the futon. I couldn't sleep on it."

"So why sleep right next to me?"

"I dunno." Kuroneko kissed Kyousuke on the cheek. "So, you sure your wee-wee's all better?"

"That was not funny," moaned Kyousuke before remembering that he had to go to the toilet.

As they sat down for breakfast, Kyousuke tried to push Saori's words from the day before out of his mind. Sure, he would have to find a way to get Ayase to leave them alone for good, but that was easier said than done. Ayase was especially crafty, and she was uncanny in her ability to pretend and act. Kyousuke neither trusted her nor wanted anything to do with her. He imagined just how well going up to Ayase and nicely asking her to stop would work.

_Or you could just stand up to her._ A tiny thought popped into Kyousuke's head. Deep down, he knew this was the most sensible and the inevitable choice. Perhaps that was why he pressed it down inside him as far as possible.

Besides, there were all sorts of reasons he could not do this. Ayase was dangerous. She was deadly. Kyousuke tried to convince himself that even if he could get that the genuinely sweet Ayase back again, the one he suspected was the real her…there was no guarantee she would stay that way. Rather, it would be best to let Ayase's true self be buried.

But then that made what he was doing not only cowardly, but downright wrong.

Kyousuke clutched his head furiously. He couldn't stand to think about these things right now.

Kyousuke looked up. Kuroneko was on all fours, three inches away from Kyousuke's face. Kyousuke bounced away, shocked.

"RURI!" he exclaimed. "What're you doing?"

"You were out of it," said Kuroneko matter-of-factly. "I wanted to make sure you weren't dead."

"Not funny!" cried Kyousuke.

"Oh, lighten up, Kyousuke!" said Kuroneko. With a smile that was so unlike her, she added, "We're in Akiba! Stop thinking about home!"

Kyousuke got up and placed his bowl in the sink. It seemed like Kuroneko was changing each day she stayed here. There was still the same girl there, but she had changed. The serious, wry Kuroneko wasn't there anymore, and Kyousuke couldn't tell if the old Kuroneko had been erased or merely masked by the new Kuroneko.

The day was sweltering, and the general mood was nowhere near as carefree as it had been the day before. Perhaps Kuroneko had guessed what was on Kyousuke's mind, or maybe she was just cowed by the heat, but she was rather restrained as she walked by Kyousuke.

Meanwhile, the Ayase problem was growing in Kyousuke's mind. The more he buried it, the more exacerbated the problem became, until it had swollen up so much that it gnawed at him like an infected sore, only made worse by the heat.

"Kyousuke?" said Kuroneko. "You don't look too good."

"Sorry, I guess it's the heat," said Kyousuke.

"We'd better go home then."

"Yeah…"

The air-conditioned inside of their apartment wasn't any better. Kyousuke laid on the futon with a sick look in his eyes. He had remembered waking up here for the first time two days ago. Back then, the sunlight shining into the room and the bright, simple walls had filled him with joy and a little excitement. Now, it only irritated him and reminded him of his troubles. Just the thought filled him with more pangs, stressing him further and further...

...

"Kyousuke…Kyousuke…Kyousuke!"

Kyousuke felt something shake him. He flipped over and opened his eyes. It was Kuroneko, kneeling over him. He had fallen asleep.

"It's dinner time," said Kuroneko.

Kyousuke sat up, nodded, and hazily got up. He sat down with Kuroneko on the kitchen floor.

"Itadakimasu," muttered Kyousuke as he absentmindedly scooped vegetables into his rice bowl.

Kuroneko grinned and stared at Kyousuke with an expectant look. "You know, I'm going to get an advance on that book."

Kyousuke nodded. He was still in a terrible mood, but he tried to keep up as happy a face as possible for Kuroneko.

"It's going to be great! It might even be the first step on my career as a writer!" said Kuroneko. "Well, maybe not…no, of course it is!"

Kyousuke listened as he gulped down his food. He stared out the window at the orange rays that were seeping over the Tokyo skyline and sighed.

The two of them put their bowls into the sink and began washing the dishes. Kuroneko was still talking about her book. She was explaining the plot, forgetting that Kyousuke had helped edit her manuscript several times and knew the plot as well as she did. Eventually, though, even Kuroneko had to notice the glum look on Kyousuke's face.

"What's wrong, Kyousuke?" she said.

"I…uh, I've got a lot on my mind."

"Well, of course. You've had that look the whole day. That's not the kind of look you get from a little too much heat, you know. I'm not _that_ easy to fool." Kuroneko gave a provocative smile. A sliver of the old her was shining through again.

Kyousuke gave a sly grin. "Of _course_ not."

Kuroneko's smile faded. "But, seriously. What's wrong? I've noticed that look on your face the whole day now. It's obviously got to be a big thing, whatever it is that's on your mind."

"I was thinking about Ayase."

Kuroneko stopped her scrubbing. The topic was still very sensitive.

"We have to do something about her. She's too dangerous."

"We _are_ doing something about her," said Kuroneko.

"No, we're not! We're running away from the problem. Sooner or later, we're going to have to face up to the problem. We can't run away from it forever."

Kuroneko looked back down at the pot she was scrubbing. Slowly, she ran the sponge over the bottom, continuing her slow, methodical motions.

"Sooner or later, we have to face Ayase," continued Kyousuke.

"Yeah, and get ourselves killed?" replied Kuroneko.

"I don't think that will happen," said Kyousuke. "Somehow, I know we can help her."

"Help her?" snapped Kuroneko. "Are you crazy?"

"I've seen her. This isn't her true self. I've seen her true self. Her true self is creative, outgoing…This is only her shell. It's only the bitter part of her. It's only here because when she found one of her only true friends…he ripped himself away from her."

Kyousuke turned to Kuroneko with tears in his eyes. How stupid. A guy wasn't ever supposed to cry.

"That friend was me," added Kyousuke. "And I have a duty to fix the mess that I caused."

"No, you don't."

Kyousuke set his dish down, as if to make sure of what Kuroneko said.

"You don't have to fix anything," said Kuroneko as she stared down at the sink. "That's all in the past now."

"Well, it won't be for long," said Kyousuke. "Eventually, we're going to have to face up to the problem."

"No, we won't." Kuroneko shook her head. She clutched Kyousuke with a sad smile. "Kyousuke, don't you realize how _much _I've written?"

"Huh?" Kyousuke edged back from the sink as Kuroneko kept her firm grip on Kyousuke's arm.

"That's only the first book in the series, you know. There's far more to go. That advance that's coming is only the first."

Kyousuke backed away. Kuroneko followed him, tightening her grasp.

"This is only the start. We can literally start a new life here. This is only temporary…until we can get an apartment of our own. We can live like this. I've got money coming in now. This is only the start."

Kyousuke tried to deny Kuroneko's words, but found himself entranced by them instead. Kuroneko was absolutely right. This was only the start.

"We won't ever have to face our old selves again…We can start over…We can be whatever we want here…Please…Kyousuke!"

Kyousuke was caught by the naïve, pure hope in Kuroneko's eyes. He opened up his lips, about to agree. He stared at Kuroneko, about to nod in assent.

A knock on the door interrupted his flow of thought. Kuroneko's compelling words unstuck themselves from his mind.

Kyousuke recovered from his trance, now with a determination stronger than before to do something about Ayase.

But first, they had to do something about the knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" said Kuroneko. "Saori wouldn't be coming this late, would she?"

The knocking started again. It was three simple knocks that reverberated with a resounding echo through the apartment. Kyousuke turned around and put down the bowl he was rinsing. He walked over to the door, and Kuroneko followed him, instinctively feeling that she should.

The knocking continued, sounding ominous in the night. Kyousuke felt as if there weren't enough lights in the whole apartment to illuminate the place.

The knocking continued. It was getting persistent.

Kyousuke put his hand on the lock. He tried looking through the hole in the door to see who was there, but the figure was shrouded in the darkness outside. He was about to turn the knob when Kuroneko put her hand on his shoulder.

"It might be dangerous," she said.

"Well, we can't just leave them standing there."

"Try putting the latch in."

"That's not going to be enough."

"Well, we can't just leave them standing there."

Kyousuke stared at Kuroneko. Did she just use his own words against him? However, the knocking jarred him back again. Kyousuke sighed, since there really was no other choice. Besides, this person seemed to be really persistent.

Kyousuke latched up the door and turned the lock, wishing he had some sort of makeshift weapon with him. He pulled open the door with the intent to look through the tiny opening and slam the door, if need be.

…

Kyousuke lunged back, horrified as the latch shattered. Everything was a jumble of colors, lights, and sounds as he felt a sharp blow to his head.

…

Kyousuke awoke. The room was sideways. The lights were somewhere to his right. The door was horizontal. Kyousuke writhed a bit. He was on the ground, on his side, with his arms and legs tied together.

"Hey, Kyousuke," called Kuroneko. "Are you up?"

"Yeah," said Kyousuke. "What happened?"

"Well, the latch broke, and then I was hit with something blunt."

"Yeah, me too. Can you move?"

"My arms and legs are tied together. Is that your back that's touching mine?"

"I think so. Are you on your side?"

"Yeah. Think we can both roll onto our backs?"

"Sure."

They both wriggled until they flipped onto their backs. Ayase Aragaki was standing over the two of them, made even more ominous-looking by the living room light shining behind her back.

"Crap." Kyousuke immediately flipped back to his side, and then flipped again onto his back. It would not have been any use, after all. Just because he couldn't see her wouldn't mean she wasn't there.

"What's the matter, _Kyou-chan_?" cackled Ayase. "Aren't you glad to see me again?"

Kyousuke shivered on the spot. His previous determination to face up to Ayase faded away.

"I didn't think so," said Ayase. "I mean, if I were a two-timing bastard who abandoned his girlfriend, I'd be afraid of her too!"

Kyousuke shuddered.

"Oh, wait, _I'm the other woman_!" Ayase leveled a well-aimed kick at Kyousuke, then turned to Kuroneko. "Oh, hello, bitch."

Kuroneko winced. It wasn't every day that the first thing someone said to you after weeks of not seeing you was, "Oh, hello, bitch."

"What's the matter? Do you have an issue with the word 'bitch'?" said Ayase. She squished Kuroneko's cheeks together, and then slapped her on the face. "Doesn't really matter now, does it? You're tied up. I can call you whatever I want, bitch."

Kuroneko's hands were tied together, and she couldn't bat away Ayase, who inched closer and closer to Kuroneko's face until she suddenly buried her face in Kuroneko's hair.

"You're like a little doll," whispered Ayase.

Kuroneko's cheeks puffed up. Kyousuke simply looked on in shock. Given everything that was happening right now, Kuroneko was angry about _that_?

Ayase nibbled Kuroneko's neck, sending a chill down Kyousuke's back. He tried to turn away, but he was so fixed by the sight that he kept watching.

Ayase tilted Kuroneko's head towards her and grazed her cheek with her lips. Kuroneko squealed softly and tried to open her mouth to scream. Ayase closed her lips over Kuroneko's, quickly silencing her, as Kyousuke wriggled around on the floor, trying to hide the tent in his pants.

Goddamn it, it was not the time for this.

Kuroneko tried to reach for Kyousuke and then realized her hands were tied together. "N-No, K-Kyousuke! D-don't look!"

"What's the matter, Ruri-chan?" hissed Ayase with a saccharine smile. "Are you embarrassed, doing this in front of your boyfriend?"

Ayase reached under Kuroneko's skirt, ignoring Kuroneko's high, shrill screams. Kyousuke lay on his back, mortified, shutting his eyes and trying to ignore the shrieks. Failing that, Kyousuke caved in and turned back to watch, cursing himself for his lack of moral fiber.

It was just as well that he did. Kyousuke caught a silver gleam. He could tell it was some sort of knife or dagger, and it explained how Ayase managed to break the door latch. There it went again.

Why did Ayase have such a large, scary-looking weapon with her? Surely, something smaller could have sufficed just to break in. Kyousuke blinked and realized that Ayase did not just want revenge, but she wanted complete humiliation before she got it. Kyousuke could see the anguished look in Kuroneko's eyes as she began to break down. It must have been a harrowing experience for her to collapse like that in front of her boyfriend, and Kyousuke realized it was supposed to be the gratifying peak for Ayase's other personality before she did the unthinkable.

Kyousuke quietly scrunched on the floor, readying himself. His hands and legs were tied, but he could still squirm forward a bit. The hard, cold tiles on the floor pressed against his face as he flailed silently against the ground.

Kuroneko's eyes were sealed shut, and her lips were wide open in ecstasy. She was utterly defenseless, vulnerable.

Ayase drew the dagger out from its sheath. Kyousuke had gotten himself up to a kneeling position, and he had managed to move closer with his knees. Ayase's back was still turned towards him, as was Kuroneko's. Ayase slowly lifted her dagger and prepared to strike.

Kyousuke decided right then that he would fall onto Ayase to stop her from raising her knife. He shielded his torso with his arms and shut his eyes.

He lunged onto Ayase, prepared for the worst.

Kyousuke opened his eyes. The knife had only grazed his arms. Ayase was below him, glaring at him, roaring out curses in outrage.

Kyousuke stayed put, knowing that he would be safe here. Ayase could not get out from under him. However, Kuroneko was under Ayase as well, and, though she had managed to wriggle partially free, her legs and body were still stuck.

Kyousuke wriggled away, rolling on the floor away from Ayase as Kuroneko took the knife by her bound feet, keeping it away from her would-be assassin. However, Ayase, with her free hands, easily grabbed the knife away and stabbed it at Kuroneko's feet. Kuroneko dodged with her legs as Kyousuke pounced on Ayase again.

Ayase turned, and with a murderous scowl, went for Kyousuke, readying her dagger. Kyousuke froze, defenseless, and lifted his hands, knowing it would be too much of a cop-out if it actually worked.

As it turned out, his hands did _not_ miraculously get in the way of the dagger, and the dagger did _not_ miraculously cut his ropes, like in the movies.

However, Ayase _did_ hesitate in surprise, stopping her dagger in mid-air. Kyousuke saw his chance and swung his tied hands towards the dagger, cutting his ropes and his hands. Meanwhile, the dagger landed several yards away, next to the door.

"Ruri!" he cried as he smothered Ayase with his body. "Get the knife!"

Kuroneko squirmed towards the knife as Kyousuke restrained Ayase. She clumsily cut the rope around her hands, cutting her own skin in several places. With her hands free, Kuroneko held the knife to Ayase's throat as Kyousuke tested the rope at his wrists. The rope had been frayed and weakened enough for him to pull his wrists apart and unravel the fibers.

"Tell me," seethed Kuroneko as she finally held the blade over Ayase's throat. "Why I shouldn't kill you now."

Kuroneko's eyes blazed, and she did not wait for an answer. She lifted the silver blade high up into the air.

Kyousuke watched from his position on top of Ayase.

Kuroneko's arm flew through the air like a missile, with the knife headed straight for Ayase's neck.

The missile met an obstacle in its path. The two projectiles collided in the air.

Kyousuke pinned Kuroneko down onto the floor. He had tackled his girlfriend, sending the dagger careening into the air and onto the floor, next to Ayase, who had been freed in the commotion.

Ayase got up and gripped the dagger. She stood up and held the dagger tight, with the same furious, starved smile. Ayase lifted up the dagger as Kyousuke prepared to shield Kuroneko.

However, Ayase wavered. She froze in the air with weapon in hand. First, her arms, and then her whole body started to shake. Ayase's shining eyes began to lose their luster, and her smile began to contort with pain. Ayase fell onto her knees, shaking and shivering as she hurled the dagger into the floorboards. Her deranged grin began to slide off her face, and she grabbed the floor with her hands. Kyousuke watched the horrifyingly beautiful transformation as a whole part of Ayase seemed to melt away. What was left crumpled onto the floor.

"Ayase?"

"Kyousuke…Kyousuke!"

Ayase looked up with bright tears like pearls in her eyes. She wore a wounded expression as her lip twitched. The pearls burst and rolled down her cheeks. Ayase wiped them away with her sleeve, whimpering and shaking. She was not dangerous or deadly or insane. She was just vulnerable and hurt and lovable. Kyousuke blindly knelt down to hug Ayase.

Kuroneko stood and watched as Kyousuke sat by Ayase's side, comforting her as she collapsed against his shoulder.

…

Even such a surreal showdown had to end eventually. Eventually, Ayase left, leaving the dagger and a broken door. The next day, Kuroneko and Kyousuke immediately went back home. They received long, concerned lectures from their parents. Somehow, though, the affair was chalked up to teenage hormones, and both of them got off relatively easily.

More complex was the matter of Ayase. Kyousuke and Kuroneko did not mention her to their parents, and it was only several days later that the issue emerged again. As Kyousuke walked home from school, he received a text message from his father.

It was an order to get to the police station.

As Kyousuke arrived, he saw Ayase sitting on a chair, with Kuroneko and her family, as well as his own, assembled around her.

"Aragaki-san here says she broke into your apartment and tried to kill the two of you," said Daisuke Kousaka curtly.

Kyousuke looked down at Ayase, who looked up with a supremely guilty expression.

"Why would she do that?" said Kyousuke.

"She said something about unrequited love," muttered Daisuke.

"Interesting," said Kyousuke, with a shrug.

"First time I ever heard of this 'attempted murder'," replied Kuroneko with a smirk.

"B-But…you two…!" exclaimed Ayase as she watched her would-be victims deny her role. "What about the cuts?"

"What cuts?" Kuroneko rolled up her sleeves. Her scabs had already mostly healed. Kyousuke was less lucky; the knife wounds were still there.

"Oh, he cut himself while he was cutting vegetables. And once with scissors while he was trying to open up some manga," said Kuroneko, immediately covering for Kyousuke.

"Why did he need scissors for a manga?" said Yoshino.

"It was shrink-wrapped," said Kuroneko as if that were the most natural thing to say. Kyousuke reddened and tried to get his girlfriend to shut up.

"Well," continued Daisuke. "I'm really not sure what my district can do about this. It seems that the very existence of the crime Aragaki-san's trying to turn herself in for is in debate. If no one presses charges, I can't exactly arrest you. You're free to go."

Ayase got up, confused. She said nothing and walked out. Kyousuke and Kuroneko looked up at each other.

"Wanna get a latte?" said Kuroneko.

"Yeah," said Kyousuke.

They both said nothing more of the matter.

…

"Why?"

The question echoed in Kyousuke's head. That one word was so annoying, yet he could not get Ayase to stop asking it.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore."

Ayase and Kyousuke were lying next to each other on top of Kyousuke's bed. She was waiting for Kirino and he was waiting for Kuroneko.

"I'm sorry," said Kyousuke.

"You've said that so many times," giggled Ayase. "I get it."

"I still want you to hear it. I shouldn't have chickened out as a friend."

"I shouldn't have tried to kill you."

Kyousuke recalled Ayase's emotional breakdown. "I don't think it'll happen again. Anyway, I promise to stay by your side as your friend from now on."

Ayase nodded. "Thank you. I don't have very many of them."

"Friends?"

"Yeah. I'm a model, so a lot of people want to get close to me. But very few of them are actually my friends."

Kyousuke nodded and lay back down on the pillow. There was still one question he wanted to ask before he put all of this to rest.

"Unrequited love?"

"Yeah. I really knew, deep inside, you weren't perving on Kirino. I just used it as an excuse for my real reason."

"Unrequited love."

"Uh, yes."

"No, 'unrequited love'?" Kyousuke crawled close until he was in Ayase's face, wearing a giant grin. "I'm flattered!"

"I wasn't talking about you!" cried Ayase as she shoved Kyousuke away.

"Then who?" Kyousuke still had a grin. Obviously, he didn't believe Ayase.

"We're back!" exclaimed Kirino. She and Kuroneko had just come in. They both giant bags in their hands, their loot from their Akihabara raid.

"You guys took long enough," said Kyousuke. Kirino stuck her tongue out, and she and Kuroneko went to Kirino's room to sort out the merchandise.

"So, who is it?" pestered Kyousuke. Ayase hid her head between her legs, trying to hide her flustered expression.

Kirino popped her head into the door frame of Kyousuke's room.

"Hey, you," she said, gruffly pointing at Kyousuke. "I believe this belongs to you."

She pushed Kuroneko into the room. Kuroneko giggled and climbed on top of Kyousuke as Ayase immediately leapt up and clutched onto Kirino.

"Kirino! Finally. Your Akiba raids always take so long! I've been waiting so long..."


	19. Epilogue

Kyousuke knew a long time ago, when Kirino had confided her great secret to him, that his life would not remain the ordinary, usual existence he had enjoyed. That had been months ago, and Kyousuke's gut feeling had long been confirmed. When Ayase hurtled into and faded out of his life, Kyousuke realized again that again, things would change. For the most part, this was not a seismic transformation as had happened months ago. In fact, for a few weeks, Kyousuke did not see Ayase again. One Sunday afternoon, though, as Kyousuke was walking out from his house, he spotted Ayase happily accompanying Kirino from a modeling shoot. She looked over in Kyousuke's direction and nodded with a faint smile. Kyousuke nodded back and continued his way—to Kuroneko's house.

"Oh, it's you," said Kuroneko. Ever since the incident, Kuroneko had gone back to her old, aloof self.

Kuroneko turned and searched her own house. As she remembered that her sister was not home, she lunged forward and hugged Kyousuke. "Onii-chan."

Well, her old, aloof self with a refreshingly affectionate streak.

"It's a lovely day today," said Kyousuke. "Wanna spend it in Akiba?"

"I was hoping we could stay here today," said Kuroneko.

"Oh? Passing on a chance to go to the city?"

"Yeah…" said Kuroneko. She wrapped her arms around the hem of her Lolita-style dress. "I already went to the city yesterday, but not to buy manga."

She lifted up her dress and revealed the dark violet, frilly bra and panties she had bought, blushing as she bared her body to Kyousuke.

Kyousuke let himself in, leaning in to kiss Kuroneko as he pushed the door shut behind him.

…

Kyousuke returned home five hours later. He dropped his bag, contained books that he had intended for a tutoring session that he never received. Kyousuke poured himself a glass of iced tea from the fridge and, finished with that, walked upstairs. He passed by the half-open door into Kirino's room. Curious, he peeked inside.

Kirino and Ayase lay, half-naked and only in their underwear and socks, on the bed. Kirino felt up her friend and pleasured herself with one hand as her other peeled back Ayase's bra. Kyousuke was there for only a few seconds before Ayase waved and Kirino turned around.

"PERVERT!" Kirino flung a pillow at the door.

"Oh, Kirino," crooned Ayase. "Why don't we have him join us?"

"Are you insane? You're mine! Mine!" Kirino clasped her hands over her mouth, as if Kyousuke couldn't have guessed it after seeing all that.

"Oh, but…" crooned Ayase softly. "Onii-chan makes me wet!"

Kirino blushed at her illicit lover's scandalous words. She rushed over to Kyousuke. "Out, OUT!"

Without missing a beat, he sighed, smiled, and went to his room.

He still had to call up Kuroneko and ask her about that second novel.


End file.
